Selling Off The Nation

By Alan Ramsey = SMH
April 8, 2006

VARIOUS governments - state and federal - have sold at least $82 billion of
Australia's public assets over the past 20 years. Something like half has
gone to foreign buyers. The three most prolific sellers have been the Howard
Government, Victoria's former Kennett government and federal Labor's
deceased Keating government.

None of this is contestable. In December 1997 the Reserve Bank published the
details of the first 10 years of what is coyly called privatisation. That
is, politicians selling what the nation's taxpayers collectively own.

The Reserve Bank at the time put the value of the sell-off in the first 10
years, from 1987 to 1997, at $61.3 billion. It included the first chunk
($14.2 billion) of the Howard Government's piecemeal sale of Telstra in
1997. Since then, the second chunk ($16 billion) was sold in 1999. So, too,
was Sydney Airport (for $4.2 billion) in June 2002. Plus various smaller
plunderings. There you have your total: $82 billion.

Next, at a sharemarket near you, three governments, in collusion, are
selling their shares of Snowy Hydro Ltd, the corporatised version of what
used to be the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme, one of this nation's
two greatest engineering achievements. No NSW government has yet been game
enough to try to flog the other, the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Give it time,
though, should Labor be in office.

Meantime, taxpayers lose Snowy Hydro.

The deal has been done. NSW's Iemma Government, with its 58 per cent share
of Snowy Hydro's ownership, is desperate to get the sale at least on the
books before the end of June. It needs $1.7 billion (hopefully) to make its
coming budget balance before next year's March election. Labor is terrified
of a bad budget figure and, thus, a possible downgrading in the state's
credit rating.

So the Snowy has to go. NSW announced its unilateral decision last December.
The Bracks Government in Victoria, with 29 per cent ownership, and the
Howard Government (13 per cent), have acquiesced, with some reluctance. So,
too, has federal Labor. It is Kim Beazley's gift to his NSW Labor mates not
to make a fuss. He needs NSW's electoral favour as much as does the besieged
Iemma Government.

Oh, how they both need it!

Yet some things have not gone as smoothly as some would like. Senator Bill
Heffernan, the Junee farmer who is one of John Howard's most vigorous pot
stirrers and news makers, was on the phone this week, his words as quotable
as ever. He is unhappy about the way some people have gone on about the
Snowy Hydro sale. He is just as unhappy about the confusion and anger among
"real" people, especially in the bush.

Yet Another Iemma Dilemma

THE Iemma Government was reeling yesterday after a series of damaging policy
backflips and was caught desperately trying to spin its way out of trouble.

The day of political pain began with a backdown on the Government's refusal
to test Sydney Harbour fishermen for cancer-causing dioxins after high
levels were found in fish.

While the belated reversal was welcome - and potentially exposes the
Government to compensation claims - it came only after continued public
pressure. Then came an immediate U-turn on track work for Sydney's western
lines, which would have forced people on to buses and added two hours to
commuter trips for up to three months.

The vital work now may be delayed until after the election for fear of a
voter backlash.

The day continued to get worse when a damning report from safety
investigators was later released to Parliament, raising grave concerns over
the safety and training procedures on Sydney's ferries.

Transport Minister John Watkins was forced to concede that the report was
"damning".

The Daily Telegraph can further reveal that as the background to these
mounting problems, the

RTA is planning to spend $200,000 on two new spin doctors dedicated to
suppressing community anger over roads and tollways.

Both contracts would be limited to 12 months, enough time to cover the March
2007 state election.

Premier Morris Iemma's day of woe began shortly after 6am when Mr Watkins
made a desperate call to RailCorp CEO Vince Graham.

News that track maintenance could delay travel times for western Sydney
commuters by up to two hours had caused outrage.

It had even prompted a call to Mr Watkins from the Government's own Attorney
General and Member for the Blue Mountains Bob Debus expressing serious
concern about the plans.

Mr Graham, who denied he was then told what to do by Mr Watkins, went on
radio to announce that work would be delayed indefinitely.

Mr Iemma himself was then forced into a corner over the Sydney Harbour
dioxin scandal.

Revelations had emerged that a small group of Sydney Harbour fishermen who
had been tested for dioxins showed disturbingly high levels in their blood.

Less than 12 hours earlier, the Government was sticking to its policy that
tests were not needed.

By 9.30am yesterday, however, Mr Iemma had bowed to demands that all 42
fishermen and their immediate families would be tested - potentially
exposing the Government to compensation claims.

The third dilemma for the Government was delivered courtesy of a report by
the NSW Office of Transport Safety Investigation into the Collaroy ferry
crash on September 19 last year.

The report found there was inadequate emergency training of ferry staff and
noted that some communications devices were missing from the Collaroy, or
not working.

Meanwhile, the RTA is advertising for two "communication" staff - one
responsible for Sydney Motorways and the other dedicated solely to Pacific
Highway upgrades in northern NSW.

............. Compliments of the Daily Telegraph .................

Just Before They Sell Snowy Hydro

ROCKWELL Automation has finalised an agreement with Australia's largest
renewable energy supplier, Snowy Hydro, to provide an advanced control and
information system across the 3756 megawatt (MW) Snowy Mountains Scheme.

The three-year, multi-million dollar revamp covers seven power stations and
one pumping station. It will be founded on Rockwell Automation's Integrated
Architecture. The agreement covers the first of three project phases.

Putting final handshakes to the agreement were Snowy Hydro executive officer
information and control systems, Ian Cooke, and Rockwell Automation Asia
Pacific president, Scott Summerville.

The system will facilitate the acquisition and accumulation of real-time
operational data from the scheme's key generator and pumping station plant,
and relay this data to Snowy's Group control centre in Cooma, New South
Wales.

Rockwell Automation has been working with Snowy Hydro since the early 1990s.

The Rats Desert The Sinking Ship

Labor MP Paul Crittenden has pulled the pin on his political career,
starting a scramble for his plum seat of Wyong on the Central Coast.

Being the second Labor MP to declaring that he won't stand for re-election
in March next year, we see Granville MP Kim Yeadon being the other.

Favoured to succeed Mr Crittenden is Sharryn Brownlee, former president of
the Federation of Parents and Citizens Association, who quit last month amid
claims she had become too close to the Iemma Government. Consideration here
is unlikely as political inference in schools is frowned upon which the
polls will tell Ms Brownlee.

The departure of Mr Crittenden, an outspoken right-winger, and Mr Yeadon, a
left-winger, will fuel support that electoral prospects of the Iemma
Government are terminal and that some Labor MPs have decided to "cut and
run" before the bloodbath.

Mr Crittenden, a former parliamentary secretary to premier Bob Carr, was
once considered a cabinet prospect until he made enemies in the ruling
right-wing faction known as The Terrigals. Similarly, Mr Yeadon was a rising
star and became a highly regarded cabinet minister before he was speared by
elements in his own faction and the ruling Right.

This highlights the party first, constituents only required to vote, and the
arrogance of these public servants who insist that they are masters.

Now the major rat considering the life raft on the sinking "SS Labor" is
overboard expert, Attorney-General and Environment Minister Bob Debus, MP
for the Blue Mountains, and Tourism Minister as he has spent millions of
your taxpayer dollars and is a major contributor to the financial demise of
NSW to keep his green mates happy and the state on it's knees.

Bear In Mind - Its Your Money

NSW Environment Minister Bob Debus said the government would spend $230,000
on a statewide koala survey.

"The more we know about koala distribution and the location of their food
and trees, the better equipped we will be to help conserve and recover their
numbers in NSW," Mr Debus said in a statement.

All this and more of you dollars being spent by this minister on futile
projects such as this
There will be more of "Bob the Blunderer" as he wades into your money to
maintain his radical greenie powerbase.