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Jul
14
Max Talbot Comments
Filed Under Max Talbot
The CEO of the Murray Darling Basin Commission (MDBC), Wendy Craik, when asked about the security of water supplies for Basin communities (ABC Country Hour, 10 July 2008) replied that whilst supplies were secure for this year, if inflows did not improve they were not assured for next year and that MDBC had a number of contingency plans - should this situation eventuate - one of which was a possible commercial arrangement with Snowy Hydro Ltd.
As we are repeatably told, Snowy Hydro does not own the Snowy Schemes water; so why is it necessary - in this most dire of circumstances - to make commercial arrangements with Snowy Hydro?
The Snowy Scheme’s water belongs to us, the people, and should some of it be required to be released to maintain the health and well-being of Basin and other communities, then Snowy Hydro’s share-holding governments should direct Snowy Hydro to release the water at no cost and without payment of compensation. For them to do otherwise leads to one possible conclusion; this being that government’s view Snowy Hydro’s electricity generation and trading business; and thus dividends to governments, as more important than the survival and well-being communities.
That the MDBC is contemplating a commercial arrangement with Snowy Hydro for the release of water for the survival of communities - water that Snowy Hydro does not own - is beyond belief and comprehension.
If in fact a commercial arrangement is the only way to have the water released, then it confirms that; whilst Snowy Hydro don’t own the water, they do control its storage and release: a totally unacceptable situation and one that communities should no longer be prepared to accept.
Max Talbot,
Cooma.
Jul
7
Garnaut Overlooks Value of Snowy Scheme for Water Security
Filed Under Acacia Rose, Alpine Riverkeepers
The Garnaut Report completely fails to recognise the role and importance of Snowy Hydro to store and manage water and instead advocates for removal of ‘contraints’ on access to capital to ‘optimise’ the Snowy Scheme as a national asset.
Alpine Riverkeeper Acacia Rose said ‘unfortunately the market and profit-centric Garnaut report fails to properly recognise the current and impending water shortages in Australia by positioning Snowy Hydro for energy instead of water.’
‘The Snowy Scheme is vital for water security and must be re-positioned for water storage and management despite the recommendations of Garnaut that focus primarily on energy generation.’
‘With diminishing rainfall for south eastern Australia there will be less water available for energy generation,’ she said.
‘Energy efficiency and investment in renewable energy with flexible working hours will reduce peak load energy demand and also take the pressure of the Snowy Scheme to back up energy supplies for Sydney and Melbourne.’
Ms Rose said ‘this is not the time to consider energy ‘profits’. This is the time to carefully manage dwindling water resources for the environment, for domestic, agricultural and industrial purposes.’
‘Professor Garnaut completely misses the point of necessary transitions to the better water governance and the critical role of the Snowy Scheme as a part of an independent national water authority.’
‘The question now is whether the Commonwealth will continue with its commitment to retain Snowy Hydro in public ownership,’ she said.
‘Kevin Rudd says he can’t make it rain however, he can better manage Australia’s water resources and eliminate rain suppressants over the Snowy Mountains including arguably, emissions from coal and gas fired power stations in Victoria and industry in South Australia.’
‘It is imperative that the PM retains Snowy as a public asset and makes the switch to renewable energy including solar-thermal that solves intermittency.’
‘Rome continues to burn whilst the policy makers and politicians continue to fiddle. Australia as the sunburnt country can produce all its energy from solar.’
‘The question is why Garnaut and Kevin Rudd are devoid of real vision and fail to see the renewable energy age.’
‘Hydro power is at best an emergency asset particularly in times of diminishing rainfall over south-eastern Australia.’
‘The Snowy Scheme must remain in public ownership and independent management free from the constraints of the ‘growth and profit’ paradigm in order to carefully manage vital water resources.’
Ms Rose said ‘This is very sad day for all Australians when energy markets and profits rule over good sense and wise management of the real essence of life, water.’
Jun
20
Hydro Electric Pirates
Filed Under Misc
It doesn’t matter what we the people enmass wish, the politicians in their arrogant, dangerous belief of superiority, intend to continue doing, just as they please.
The following story in a local Jindabyne newspaper has MP Mike Kelly sucking up to, Snowy Hydro staff, but more worryingly, flagging the continuance of the NSW government’s intention to sell the largest, only real green, electrical generation scheme on the mainland of Australia.
How easy it is to talk of the low dam levels during a major national drought and the pending situation should the levels fall further. The Snowy Scheme water was never just for electrical generation alone, but also an irrigation storage supply of magnitude for a large part of the Murray Darling system.
How glib pollie Kelly is to make the statement that another 8-metre drop and the scheme’s capacity to generate ends, as if the system is finished and the scrap dealers move in.
Jun
20
The demise of the Murray-Darling and Snowy River systems calls for an urgent review of national water management including potentially, an Independent National Water Manager.
Alpine Riverkeepers spokesperson Acacia Rose said ‘it is clear that the State and Federal Governments have proven themselves incapable of properly managing dwindling water resources despite COAG arrangements and cooperative federalism.’
‘For example the NSW Government delayed the establishment of the key Snowy Scientific Committee by five years and did so only as a result of tenacious community pressure.’
‘Since the public outcry over the proposed sale of the Snowy Scheme the NSW Government and Snowy Hydro have simply plundered the Snowy storages crying “drought” whereas the real story is more likely to be lucrative water trading below the juridisction of the Snowy Scheme,’ she said.
‘The Snowy supplies up to 25% of flows to the Murray however many farmers are simply not seeing real water on their farms.’
‘Up river extraction in the Darling by industrial agriculture has simply robbed the Murray of natural flooding flows putting further pressure on the Snowy River to supply people along the Murrumbidgee and Murray Rivers.’
Ms Rose said ‘ both the Snowy and Murray Rivers are in urgent need of vital living flows however the water releases into the Murray from the Snowy system are not reaching the now collapsed Coorong.’
‘The questions must be asked to whom specifically is the NSW Government selling public water if not the farmers and why have they not delivered legislated environmental flows to the rivers?’
‘Alpine Riverkeepers has repeatedly called for a full audit of all ‘water transfers’ from the Snowy Scheme since corporatisation and now also a full audit of all water trading by government, including allocation of irrigation licences and income accrued to government.’
‘The underlying privatisation by stealth of public water and water trading is clearly creating an environmental nightmare including the ecological disasters now apparent,’ she said.
‘It is time for an Independent National Water Manager to be appointed to judiciously allocate Australia’s dwindling water resources - particularly in the south of the continent - and for the Snowy Scheme to be placed under trust administration and management.’
Ms Rose said ‘we have just had one drought of good governance too many and governments have stretched community goodwill a season too far leaving farming communities and rivers high and dry.’
Jun
17
SNOWY HYDRO AND COMMUNITY INFORMATION
Filed Under Max Talbot
Snowy Hydro’s DVD ‘the scheme…the company…the future…’ has been ‘out and about’ in the community for some time and whilst produced ostensibly to inform the community of its business activities, I believe that it is little more than a continuation of Snowy Hydro’s strategy to sway the community into accepting its grand vision of rapid growth and becoming a major player in the National Electricity Market (euphemisms for privatisation).
Whilst Snowy Hydro have consistently maintained that they need additional capital to grow, I am aware that they are about to spend $200 million on an open cycle gas-fired power station in Sydney and are intending to extend their gas-fired station in the Latrobe Valley in Victoria – so they are obviously not short of cash.
Their strategy of persuading the community to sign onto their vision continues with ongoing presentations to government ministers, community groups, catchment management authority’s and irrigators. A strategy that was given impetus by NSW Treasurer, Costa, when he reportedly told Snowy employees – during a recent visit to Cooma – that if they can sway the community to support their way of thinking, then privatisation could be revisited.
Costa is also on the record maintaining that local (Cooma) businessmen, who originally opposed the privatisation, have taken the view that they made a wrong decision because they were provided with inadequate information (Hansard 5March 2008).
As we all know the growth and well-bring of communities – and thus local businesses – depends on access to a reliable and adequate potable water supply.
Local business-people, the community and councilors should be aware that the water storages for a number of towns and villages on the Monaro, (Cooma and Jindabyne included) are owned by Snowy Hydro, who have rights over the stored water for electricity generation and trading, by virtue of a 75 year water licence. Whilst present water allocations from these storages may be adequate; this will not always be the case and additional allocations will need to be negotiated with the owners of Snowy Hydro to support the growth and well-being of communities.
It needs to be recognised that privatisation of Snowy Hydro effectively places control of the Snowy Scheme’s increasingly precious water resource in private hands. If local business-people, the community and councils believe that they will be able to negotiate a satisfactory ‘deal’ with private owners – likely to be a multi-national corporation or private equity fund – whose prime focus will be on profits and share-holder returns; then I believe they are living in a fools paradise.
Thus, any organisation or individual, inclined to sign onto Snowy Hydro’s grand vision of rapid growth and privatisation, should give careful consideration to the long term consequences of their decision. It is imperative that ownership and control of the Snowy Scheme’s water resource remain in government hands, to ensure the future growth and well-being of communities. We owe them at least that much.
Max Talbot.
PO Box 5343
Cooma, NSW 2630
Jun
15
Snowy Hydro in no position to talk up the sale of Snowy Scheme
Filed Under Acacia Rose, Alpine Riverkeepers
Snowy Hydro has used the timing of the first meeting of the Snowy Community Advisory Committee to talk up another sale process for the Snowy Scheme.
Alpine Riverkeepers spokesperson Acacia Rose said ‘in a time of water shortages for farmers and drastically depleted Snowy Scheme lakes and storages it is unthinkable that Snowy Hydro would spruik for another sale of the Scheme.’
‘The reality is that the people of Australia said no to the sale of the Snowy Scheme and elected governments have also committed to a no sale position.’
‘Snowy Hydro continues to use the rhetoric of ‘remaining relevant’ in the market as their reason to sell this vital public asset whereas the real ‘relevance’ of Snowy is in its water storage capacity,’ she said.
‘Over the past two days scientists met in Canberra at the ‘Imagining the Real - Life on a Greenhouse Earth’ conference exploring amongst other issues future energy options for Australia.’
‘The clear future is a solar rather than gas or hydro energy future.’
Ms Rose said ‘Snowy Hydro would like to use public money to invest in peak gas production whereas the real value for energy investment is in transitional solar and ultimately a solarised Australia.’
Alpine Riverkeepers maintains its call for full transparency of the Snowy Scheme including all water transfers, publication of the timing of water releases and removal of ‘commercial in confidence clauses’ that have created angst in farming communities who need to secure vital water for their crops.’
‘Snowy Hydro does not have any mandate to call for the sale of the Snowy Scheme and it is time for the NSW Government to either close the matter or transfer control to an independent trust manager,’ she said.
‘The community wants and deserves open and transparent management of Snowy Hydro and it is incumbent on the NSW Energy Minister to deliver or hand over control to more accountable managers.’
Jun
13
ABC Online
A Snowy Hydro manager says the corporation needs to keep pushing for privatisation, despite both state and federal governments rejecting the call.
The former federal Coalition government scuttled a sale plan two years ago.
The New South Wales Government, which is the majority shareholder, ruled out selling the corporation earlier this year, despite its push to privatise other electricity assets.
Snowy Hydro’s area manager for Lower Tumut, Maarten Vanderstap, says if the company is not privatised it will be a missed opportunity.
“My views are for Snowy to remain relevant in the market long-term, we need to,” he said.
“We need to have something like that, just for access to capital to be able to expand, otherwise we become insignificant in the long-term.
“So where our current shareholders are at I’m not really up to date with, but certainly I think the best for business would be if we could get access to additional equity.”
The people of Australia are the shareholders of Snowy Hydro Mr Vanderstap, to which you are an employee of those people, your arrogance accompanied by personal greed for that sizable slice of restructuring and other perks from the sale are despicable.
Australia in 2006 said no to privatisation with a very loud and clear voice, so what part of “NO” do you not understand Mr Vanderstap.
Our investigator is putting together a report on the commissions that will be taken by certain consultant individuals, not forgetting good old Macquarie Bank who jumped the gun in 2006 certain of a multi million dollar deal for negotiating that sale which he people jumped on from a great height. Interesting story there about the capital outlay from that group of vultures lost… or did they?
From 2001 - 2007, see how your money was being used at Snowy Hydro, check out the balance sheets in the annual reports - http://www.snowyhydro.com.au/levelTwo.asp?pageID=310&parentID=3
Snowy Hydro is a world leader and most efficient means of generating green power total environment friendly, and managed by competence not commissions is achievable for decades to come.
We need to take a hard look at the directors, and senior management people who are hell bent on selling this hydro power source to the corporate jackals
Mal Davies
Editor … SOS-NEWS
Jun
13
Snowy Hydro in no position to talk up the sale of Snowy Scheme
Filed Under Snowy Hydro Management, Acacia Rose
Snowy Hydro has used the timing of the first meeting of the Snowy Community Advisory Committee to talk up another sale process for the Snowy Scheme.
Alpine Riverkeepers spokesperson Acacia Rose said ‘in a time of water shortages for farmers and drastically depleted Snowy Scheme lakes and storages it is unthinkable that Snowy Hydro would spruik for another sale of the Scheme.’
‘The reality is that the people of Australia said no to the sale of the Snowy Scheme and elected governments have also committed to a no sale position.’
‘Snowy Hydro continues to use the rhetoric of ‘remaining relevant’ in the market as their reason to sell this vital public asset whereas the real ‘relevance’ of Snowy is in its water storage capacity,’ she said.
‘Over the past two days scientists met in Canberra at the ‘Imagining the Real - Life on a Greenhouse Earth’ conference exploring amongst other issues future energy options for Australia.’
‘The clear future is a solar rather than gas or hydro energy future.’
Ms Rose said ‘Snowy Hydro would like to use public money to invest in peak gas production whereas the real value for energy investment is in transitional solar and ultimately a solarised Australia.’
Alpine Riverkeepers maintains its call for full transparency of the Snowy Scheme including all water transfers, publication of the timing of water releases and removal of ‘commercial in confidence clauses’ that have created angst in farming communities who need to secure vital water for their crops.’
‘Snowy Hydro does not have any mandate to call for the sale of the Snowy Scheme and it is time for the NSW Government to either close the matter or transfer control to an independent trust manager,’ she said.
‘The community wants and deserves open and transparent management of Snowy Hydro and it is incumbent on the NSW Energy Minister to deliver or hand over control to more accountable managers.’
Alpine Riverkeepers
Apr
26
SNOWY HYDRO’S SLICK PUSH TO PRIVATISE
Filed Under Max Talbot
We Need To Be Vigile On Our Snowy Hydro 24/7
Following hot on the heels of Issue 3 of Snowy Hydro’s glossy Newsletter, the local community has now received a slick DVD, presented by a ‘locally known’ identity.
In Issue 3 of the Newsletter and the DVD, Snowy Hydro CEO, Terry Charlton, appeals for any further debate to be positive, to be accurately informed: and above all, to be forward looking.
I can assure Mr Charlton that opposition to the sale of Snowy Hydro is forward looking to the time when, if sold, it and the Snowy Scheme’s water resource would inevitably end up in the hands of a multi-national corporation, or private equity fund: and to when future generations of Australians would be obliged to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to the new owners to regain control of the Scheme’s, and thus the Nations, water. Such an outcome must be avoided at all costs and can only be achieved if ownership remains firmly in government (public) hands.
Mr Charlton calls for the debate to be accurately informed. This of course should go without saying, however, such an outcome is dependant on accurate and complete information on Snowy Hydro and its activities being provided by its present management.
Unfortunately, I believe this to be far from the situation to date, where much of the information presented by Snowy Hydro is designed to support their privatisation agenda and is too often misleading, not just because of what it says but what it omits to say.
For example; the DVD contains a statement that there is a need for significant investment in the Scheme, that this is costly, with $800 million committed. As no timeframes are mentioned, the viewer could be left believing this expenditure on the Scheme to be essential in the short term.
However, I believe the expenditure to be that identified in Snowy Hydro’s 20 year asset management plan; that is, an average of $40 million per annum over and above normal operating and routine maintenance costs. Even so, such an amount would be difficult to achieve every year - due to resource and plant outage constraints. In any case, $40 million of investment annually does not need an injection of external capital, as claimed by Snowy Hydro, as it can easily be covered by the annual depreciation of Scheme assets of around $50 million.
Furthermore, it needs to be understood that it would be highly unusual for the whole $800 million currently forecast, to be committed over the coming 20 year time frame.
The DVD contains further examples of misleading or incomplete information that I intend to comment on at another time.
For example; there are a number of statements along the following lines – Snowy receives no payment for maintenance of dams: Snowy subsidises water services: water services are paid for by the electricity business: there is an increasing demand for environmental releases with no payment to Snowy Hydro: and finally, the old chestnut, Snowy doesn’t own the water.
Whilst generally true, what is the motivation behind such comments? If, for example; it is Snowy Hydro’s CEO, Terry Charlton and management endeavouring to ‘set the scene’ for payments to Snowy Hydro, at some time in the future, for the maintenance of water infrastructure, then they should think again.
Lets briefly go back to the original concept of the Snowy Scheme which was to collect and store water that fell (much of it as snow) on the eastern side of the Snowy Mountains and to divert it to the dry inland via trans-mountain tunnels. The Scheme had a long gestation period and very nearly did not get of the ground until agreement was reached to incorporate hydro power stations into the design and to ‘use’ the water to generate electricity – which was in extremely short supply at the time – with income from the sale of electricity being used to pay for the financing, construction and ongoing maintenance of the Scheme. Corporatisation in no way changed that basic concept.
Had the Scheme been built solely for water it would look quite different than it does today, with fewer dams, smaller tunnels and no power stations. Thus a considerable percentage – if not the major percentage- of the Scheme’s cost was in infrastructure to provide for electricity production.
As Terry Charlton and his management team well know that without the dams and tunnels and their associated control structures, Snowy Hydro does not have an electricity generating and trading business. They thus do not maintain the water infrastructure for altruistic reasons, but to protect their business interests.
If Terry Charlton is now indeed lobbying to be paid to maintain the Scheme’s water infrastructure, then the quid-pro-quo would be that Snowy Hydro pay for the right to ‘use’ the Scheme’s water – that they have admitted many times that they do not own – to run their generating and trading business. They may find that they would have to pay dearly for those rights.
Turning to the statement that there is increasing demand for environmental releases and that Snowy Hydro receives no payment for these releases.
Environmental releases from and within the Scheme result from the Snowy Water Inquiry – a precursor to corporatisation. The release volumes were fixed at the time and are embodied in the water licence. It was never intended that Snowy Hydro would receive payment for making the releases.
As I am not aware of any amendments to the water licence to provide for increased environmental releases; what do Snowy Hydro mean by stating that there is an increasing demand for environmental releases? They should clarify the statement.
More later.
Max Talbot
Cooma.
Mar
25
SIGN THE PETITION - NO SALE
Filed Under Misc, Snowy Hydro Management, Government
It would seem that the peoples voice of 2006 did not spell out to the politician the
WE THE PEOPLE DO NOT WANT SNOWY HYDRO SOLD OR PRIVATISED.
This 2008 petition we hope has dotted the I’s and crossed the T’s for the puppet masters and the politicians who did not and or DO NOT understand the meaning of the words NO SALE.
The end result of again manipulating or ignoring this petition will be political suicide which are two words even the intellectually challenged in government will understand.
All information will remain confidential and will not be disclosed to any other source other that for petition detailing to the subject Parliament.
Download the petition as a MSword document to take around and gather signatures -
CLICK HERE
To the Honourable Presidents and Members of the Legislative Council in the states of New South Wales, we also address the Speakers and Members of the respective Legislative Assembly of the state of New South Wales.
The undersigned people of New South Wales Australia who have signed this petition requesting that the New South Wales Government be reminded that the sale/privatisation of the people Snowy Hydro Ltd was withdrawn by the NSW government in June 2006 by listening to the mass of the peoples voice objecting to that current or further pursuant of selling Snowy Hydro Ltd.
Your petitioners respectfully request that the House act again with urgency to:
1. Stop any sale and/or privatisation of Snowy Hydro Ltd immediately
2. The New South Wales Government conduct a full and open inquiry to the position jointly taken with the Victorian Government that the Commonwealth acquire Snowy Hydro Limited and that any acquisition must guarantee the retention of existing water entitlements and the public ownership of the corporation as recommended by your convened Select Committee On The Continued Public Ownership Of Snowy Hydro Limited recommendations tabled in parliament October 2006.
3. Instigate a full and open inquiry into the facts behind the management and staff of Snowy Hydro Ltd lobbying to sell the people asset, and any conflict of interest in the board of directors.
Mar
24
Snowy Hydro Judas Team Need To Resign
Filed Under Acacia Rose
Acacia Rose (pictured) Comments:
Snowy Hydro CEO and NSW Government Ministers are unable to accept the common sense of the Australian people to retain the Snowy Scheme in public ownership and continue to spruik a privatisation agenda attempting as they are, to wrest this valuable public asset from public ownership and control.
In a recent ‘newsletter’ thinly veiled contempt for public wisdom and intelligence and ongoing privatisation propaganda saw the CEO state that his staff met with the NSW Treasurer Michael Costa and NSW Minister for Energy and Water Ian Macdonald (the CEO is even unable to spell the name of his ‘boss’ correctly) to talk up the sale of Snowy Hydro.
Mar
23
SNOWY HYDRO and a misdirected campaign to privatise
It was interesting to hear Snowy Hydro’s public relations front man, Paul Johnson, endeavor to defend the indefensible (ABC Radio, Bega 11th March 2008), this being that Snowy Hydro News, Issue 3 is to inform the community of Snowy Hydro’s business, its operation in the National Electricity Market and what is happening in the market; and is not a push to privatise the Scheme. It is however difficult to reconcile Johnson’s claims with Terry Charlton’s Business Update Column. For example; I lost count of the number of times that the need for additional capital was mentioned in the Column. As Charlton well knows, listing on the ASX (privatisation) is the only remaining option to gain access to additional capital.
New South Wales Treasurer Costa apparently told Snowy Hydro employees that Snowy Hydro could be in trouble in a few years time. Well, Snowy Hydro will only be in trouble if Costa and the NSW Labor Government mismanage the proposed sell-off of the NSW electricity industry such that market competitiveness is compromised by a reduction in market players and/or by further vertical integration (generators owning retailers and vice-versa).
Mar
23
SNOWY HYDRO CEO USES SPIN DOCTOR TACTICS
This extract is from the Snowy Hydro Ltd Newsletter - February 2008
Snowy Hydro Business Update
Terry Charlton
CEO & Managing Director
There can be no doubting that all who work within Snowy Hydro Limited want the business to succeed.
Our people want the Snowy Scheme to be continually upgraded and kept technically modern and operating at world’s best practice, as it is today. We all want the Scheme to be forever strategically important and widely regarded with considerable pride.
To achieve these objectives we need access to considerable amounts of additional capital that our shareholders understandably won’t provide and we are unable to borrow. Privatisation, which is, listing on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX), would have given us access to additional capital.
The failure to privatise the Company was then, and continues to be today, detrimental to the long term future of the Company.
Mar
15
Max Talbot’s Speech April 2006
Filed Under Max Talbot
The NSW government push to sell the Snowy Hydro back in 2006 was driven by John Della-Bosca, the then treasurer, as it is now being pushed again by the treasurer Michael Costa from within the Snowy Hydro by management and certain staff member using tactics they think will go un-noticed.
Read here the speech delivered by Max Talbot in April 2006 to a meeting in Cooma that will show you the “horse is not dead” as we enter phase two of this despicable disregard of the people voice.
Mar
15
Snowy River Alliance Submission
Filed Under Snowy River Alliance
The Snowy River Alliance Inc has a finger on the pulse of the Hydro vipers and tendered a submission that questions the five year review of the Snowy Water Licence..
From their sit these pictures show the management of the river system as at 1966 then at 1998
The Bolong River 1966
The Bolong River 1998
To read the detailed copy of this submission sent to us by John Gallard (Chairperson SRA.) is worth taking the time to digest.
— keep looking »