In a stunning backflip, the Perrottet Government has announced today that they will support Greg Piper’s Bill to rescue what the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has publicly described as the “anticompetitive and illegal” privatisation of the Port of Newcastle.
This is a full scale admission that privatisation does not work and in the end, it costs the taxpayers of New South Wales millions, potentially billions of dollars.
They privatised the Port of Newcastle and now today will look at unwinding the deal and rip up the contract.
They privatised Eraring Power Station for $657m in 2013 – and then offered to pay $239m to keep it open for just three more years from 2025-28.
They privatised toll roads all over Sydney, creating a toll road monopoly and toll mania, and were forced to pay out $520 million in toll road subsidies after the deal was signed.
Fast forward to 2022, and the Government is now supporting a bill that unwinds the sale:
I congratulate Greg Piper for bringing on this Bill and fully support the measures to have the Port of Newcastle released from its shackles to allow it to operate in a more fair, equitable way, in a free market, which subsequently leads to more job opportunities for young people, better results for our farmers and our businesses and all country communities.
Adam Marshall, 13 October 2022
Chris Minns, NSW Labor leader said:
“This proves what Labor has been saying all along – privatisation doesn’t work.
“Just yesterday the Premier was speaking about further privatisation in NSW, and today he’s attempting to unravel a privatisation disaster.
“They sold off the ports in a dud deal and now are back flipping, costing taxpayers millions. It was the worst privatisation deal signed by any Australian government.
“They sold off the toll roads creating tollmania for motorists and now and have to pay millions in compensation.
“They sold off Eraring and tried to buy it back as electricity prices went through the roof.
“If we have four more years of the Liberals it’ll be more privatisation and taxpayers footing the very expensive bill.
Jo Haylen, Shadow Minister for Transport said:
“After almost a decade of being held back by the Liberal party’s bad port privatisation deal, the Hunter deserves the economic diversification that a container terminal will bring.
“The people of the Hunter deserve a chance to access the secure, well paid and skilled jobs of the future.
“They want economic diversification, development and an opportunity for local manufacturers and farmers to export hunter made and hunter grown goods across the world.”
CHRIS MINNS MP
NSW LABOR LEADER
JO HAYLEN MP
NSW LABOR LEADER
