As the English-speaking countries watch their governments transfer public assets and power to the private sector, eroding democracy, the people of France, have, once again, stood up to their government and mounted a massive resistance to privatisation. The Left in France, unlike the Left in Australia has simply not caved in on this and the Unions have retained their integrity in this matter.

NSW Greens leader John Kaye warns NSW Treasurer Eric Roozendaal that 'buying high, selling low' is not a winning formula.

Analysis of the reporting of electricity privatisation initiatives in New South Wales brings disturbing confirmation that the major Australian newsmedia does not accurately report essential facts on issues of vital concern to us. Indeed, it often acts as a conduit for propaganda against our best interest.

Contents: O'Farrell pilloried, Parliamentary debate ignored, Earlier misreporting: Iemma exhorted to ignore Labor conference, public will, What can be done about this?.

Also published on webdiary.

See also: ABC gives free kick to Iemma, NSW electricity privatisation of 21 Jul 08.

NSW Greens leader John Kaye defends Opposition leader Barry O'Farrell. O'Farrell and the NSW Opposition are now under concerted attack by the corporate sector and their newsmedia for having blocked Treasurer Costa's privatisation legislation in accord with the wishes of over 80% of the NSW public last Thursday.

See also: Iemma dodges his own $42 billion debt bomb (SMH, 1 Sep) by Barry O'Farrell, Mike Baird should make his move now - Online Opinion forum discussion about pro-privatisation state Liberal MP Mike Baird, now the darling of the corporate newsmedia.

What you can do: Join FaceBook site Support Clean Energy NOT Privatisation of NSW Electricity run by NSW Liberal MLA Peter Debnam. Peter Debnam's statement on privatisation can be found here and is also appended to this article.

The United Services Union has called its members working in call centres of Energy Australia, Integral Energy and Country Energy off the job in protest against Premier Morris Iemma's 'plan B sell-off' announced late on Thursday.

See also: Iemma unethical, says ALP backbencher, Torbay urged to fire up in power debate

After an expensive recall of Parliament to debate privatisation bills which NSW Treasurer Costa claimed to be "the most important pieces of economic reform contemplated in this State in a generation," debate was cut short after less than 3 hours. The perseverative Costa came back however with lesser plans to privatise the retail arm of NSW's electricity assets without scrutiny by the NSW Parliament.

Contents: Power retail sell-off plan punishes households and environment, Costa, Iemma must resign over back-door sale move, Costa's cowardly retreat from stunt gone wrong, speech by Dr John Kaye, speech by Sylvia Hale.

See also: NSW electricity privatisation can be stopped!

Before the promised debate on electricity privatisation was abruptly ended by a severely embarrassed NSW Labor Govenment, state Upper House Liberal leader Michael Gallacher and state Upper House Nationals leader Duncan Gay tore the credibility of Treasurer Michael Costa and his Government to shreds.

See also: Open letter to NSW state Opposition members urging a vote against electricity privatisation of 28 Aug 08, Open letter to NSW Labor parliamentary caucus members to urging a vote against electricity privatisation of 27 Aug 08

On 28 August 2008 NSW state Liberal Party and Opposition Leader announced in a media release the Opposition's intention to vote against privatisation

James Sinnamon, on behalf of Citizens Against Selling Telstra, urges NSW state Opposition members of Parliament to continue to hold the line against the privatisation of NSW's publicly owned electricity assets.

What is the point of having an elected Parliament if they ignore the wishes of 79% of their electorate?

Originally published on citizensagainstsellingtelstra.com.

See also: NSW electricity privatisation can be stopped!, Electricity Privatisation bill a test of whether the people or carpet-baggers rule NSW, Costa threatens MPs over electricity, Rallying against power privatisation, Democratic rights must be respected says State Independent candidate.

See also: NSW electricity privatisation can be stopped!, Costa threatens MPs over electricity, Rallying against power privatisation, Democratic rights must be respected says State Independent candidate

NSW Premier Morris Iemma has seized upon a limited and deficient Auditor-General's report (pdf, 354K) as grounds to proceed with electricity privatisation and plans to rush through the legislation next week.

However, the sale has been consistently and overwhelmingly opposed by the NSW public and unions, and can be stopped.

In spite of overwhelming opposition to the privatisation NSW Premier Morris Iemma engages in disruptive and and costly political stunt to 'position' NSW power assets for sell-off.

See also: ABC gives free kick to Iemma, NSW electricity privatisation of 21 Jul 08.

When Barrie Unsworth complained on Sydney's local ABC radio of the New South Wales Labor Party's efforts to ensure that state Labor parliamentarians vote against the privatisation of NSW's electricity assets - a policy already rejected resoundingly by the electorate in 1999 and currently opposed by 79% of the NSW public - his interviewer Toni Matthews expresssed her total agreement with the former NSW Premier: "Why - It seems obvious to me - Why isn't it obvious to these younger members that you're talking about that they're creating mayhem within the party?"

In a last ditch attempt to rescue NSW Treasurer Michael Costa's electricity privatisation push, the Rudd government has ignored Professor Ross Garnaut's opposition to compensating power stations for the costs of emissions trading, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye.

Professor Ross Garnaut claimed in his Climate Change Review Draft Report that public ownership of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Authority could restrict future development and competitiveness in the national electricity market. This appears to have been seized upon by Kevin Rudd as an excuse to privatise the Snowy Hydro in spite of the fact he promised before the 2007 elections to keep it in public hands.

NSW Treasurer Michael Costa's misleading attack on climate change reviewer Professor Ross Garnaut's emissions trading proposal is a last-ditch attempt to rescue the Iemma government's electricity privatisation push, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye.

The Taverner Research poll released today showed that a massive 79% of the poll sample rejected Electricity privatisation. This confirms that NSW voters have not been fooled by the Iemma government's power sell-off rhetoric, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye.

See also: SMH articles: Jittery Labor MPs get ready to dump Iemma of 29 Jun 08, Poll piles pressure on Iemma of 29 Jun 08, Poll adds to string of bad news for Iemma of 30 June 08.

If NSW Treasurer Michael Costa can borrow in order to build transport, health and educational infrastructure, why can't he borrow in order to build electricity generation?

NSW Greens media release, 3 June 08

John Kaye, Green member of the NSW Legislative Council urgently needs your support in order to force NSW Premier Morris Iemma and NSW Treasurer Michael Costa to honour their previous undertaking not to proceed with the sale of NSW's publicly-owned electricity assets without first putting the enabling legislation before the NSW Parliament.

To help: click here

A tale of two selloffs

The ostensible argument for power privatisation is that NSW needs the money for schools, hospitals and other expenditure. The reality is that sale of capital is touted as the way to finance ongoing expenditure, analogous to the classic case of the farmer who sells off a bit of the farm each year to keep the family clothed and food on the table.

Comment: Labor caucus's capitulation an unparalleled display of spinelessness

Read the rest of this entry on webdiary »

NSW power play stirs up a-giant of global warming by John Garnaut, The Age, 12 May 08

SOONER or later, some anti-privatisation activist will start doing background checks on China Huaneng Group, which is at the front of the queue to bid for $15 billion in NSW power assets. They'll see that Sydney might soon be powered by the world's biggest corporate contributor to global warming.

The NSW rural newpsaper the Northern Daily Leader of 9 May 08 reported local state Independent member for seat of Tamworth Peter Draper's observation that the NSW Government appeared totally impervious to public opinion on the privatisation of electricity assets.

See also: Why Privatisation is wrong

The selling off our public rail system in the early 1990s and the running down of the asset afterwards has been a painful lesson for New Zealand
- Finance Minister Michael Cullen

As the NSW Labor government, in defiance of the wishes of the NSW public without any electoral mandate, and cheered on by the corporate newsmedia, presses ahead with its plans to privatise NSW's electricity assets, the New Zealand Government is moving in the other direction and has renationalised its rail network.

Paul Keating, although a financial consultant concerned with the sell-off of NSW's electricity assets, has displayed woeful ignorance of the reality of the NSW electricity sector according to John Kaye, NSW Greens MLA.

When you take a public asset without permission and give it to private individuals, that is not 'reform' it is theft. Taking something without the owners' permission is stealing.

The arrogant contempt in which democracy is held by many of Australia's political and business leaders and much of the newsmedia could not have been made more clear by the determination of the New South Wales Government of Morris Iemma to proceed with its plans to sell off publicly owned electricity assets.

See also: NSW electricity links

Community members held a no sell-off protest meeting outside key NSW Labor power broker and MP for Maroubra Michael Daley's office on 26 April 2008. Originally published here on 26 April 2008.

See also Party faithful boo Iemma in SMH of 3 May.