April 30, 2013
A community forum held at Kingaroy’s Senior Citizens Centre last night attracted an audience of about 25 people concerned about the possible privatisation of the State’s electricity industry.
The meeting, held on the eve of the release of the Commission of Audit report, was arranged by the Not4Sale campaign and was part of a series of 23 public meetings held around Queensland from April 15 to May 2.
The campaign is being funded by the Electrical Trades Union.
ETU Supply Industry Coordinator Trevor Gauld told southburnett.com.au the purpose of the campaign was to educate Queenslanders about the State’s electricity industry.
“The State Government does not want informed community debate about privatisation because that puts their plans to sell off Queensland’s electricity industry at risk,” he said.
“All we’re doing is giving the public clear information about the electricity industry and then letting them make up their own minds.”
The meeting was told:
- That if the State’s electricity industry was privatised it was likely that Queenslanders would face the same price hikes that have occurred in South Australia and Victoria, which had both been privatised.
- In South Australia, where a Hong Kong-majotity owned company has been given a 200-year lease on the State’s electricity infrastructure, average household electricity bills are now $5066 a year.
- In Victoria, average annual electricity bills are $3463 to $4027 a year. The Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission found that five of the Black Saturday bushfires in February 2009 were caused by electricity asset failures.
- In Queensland, where the network is 100 per cent publicly owned, average household electricity bills are between $3443 and $3667 a year; maintenance and reliability are first-rate; and response to natural disasters is exemplary.
- Last year the State’s electricity industry generated $720 million in profits for the Queensland Government, which could be ploughed back into other service areas such as schools, hospitals and roads. These profits would go to private companies if the network were sold off, speakers warned, leaving the State Government to either raise the money in other ways or cut back services.
- Privatisation in South Australia and Victoria had led to job losses – particularly in rural and regional areas. This, in turn, had led to reduced maintenance, and longer response times in emergency situations. The Queensland industry currently employs 8500 workers, including 600 apprentices.
- There was only one part of Queensland’s electricity that had already been privatised and that was the electricity retailers whose fees now accounted for 10 per cent of all electricity bills.
Mr Gauld said the campaign had received a good response at all its meetings.
“Many people have been surprised by what they’ve heard. And so far, not one person who’s come along has told us they think privatising Queensland’s electricity industry is a good thing,” he said.
[Photo: Not4Sale campaign]
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