February 2, 2016
The Electrical Trades Union believes the LNP Opposition has revived plans to privatise Queensland assets, including power stations such as Tarong and Tarong North.
ETU State Secretary Peter Simpson said the LNP had failed to learn the lesson of their election loss by again raising the issue of privatisation.
He said Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg had “revealed the LNP’s true plans for Queensland’s assets by saying he is willing to revisit the privatisation debate”.
“The Queensland electorate couldn’t have given a more definitive answer to the question of whether state assets should be sold with the ousting of both the Bligh and Newman governments,” Mr Simpson said.
“Yet the LNP are following the orders of their masters in the Chamber of Commerce to continue pursuing a policy which is toxic to Queensland voters.
“We’re calling on the LNP to again state their case for asset sales to the people of Queensland. We welcome the opportunity to take up the fight again to keep our assets in Queensland hands.”
The ETU said Mr Springborg’s comments followed a push by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland for electricity asset privatisation in their submission to the Productivity Commission’s report on electricity pricing.
Mr Simpson said the comments showed the Opposition Leader was “beholden only to the will of the big end of the town and not the voters of Queensland”.
“One year ago, in the wake of an election drubbing, we were told by (the Opposition Leader Jeff) Seeney that asset sales were ‘dead and buried’ as a policy for the LNP,” he said.
“Well, it seems Mr Springborg has gone grave-robbing.”
