Not 4 Sale

A Community campaign to ensure that Queensland and the NT's important public assets remain owned by the people of Queenland and the NT

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LNP costing smokescreen hiding asset sales agenda

The LNP’s plans to split the state’s electricity generators into three will raise state generation costs by 33 per cent – and is purely motivated by the party’s ideological obsession with privatising the state’s assets.

Not4Sale Campaign spokesman Stuart Traill said the demerger of Stanwell and CS Energy into three companies would see an unnecessary 33 per cent increase in operating costs, despite the LNP claiming they would save more than $130 million over three years.

Under the AER’s mandatory ring fencing guidelines each generator is required to be totally self-sufficient, requiring all the support staff and resources of a separate company.

“This plan will only hit Queenslanders harder in the hip pocket than the 43 per cent power price increases we saw in less than three years under the last LNP Government,” Mr Traill said.

“It’s a wasteful proposal right out of Nicholls’ time as Treasurer when he fattened up the GOCs for asset sales.

“The only plausible explanation for this unnecessary duplication is that Mr Nicholls’ wants three generators rather than two that he can hawk off to the LNP’s big business mates for sale.”

Mr Traill said he expected, if elected, Mr Nicholls would announce a budget emergency and immediately push to sell off assets if he was returned to government.

“This is the man who wasted millions of taxpayer money to sell a plan to sell our state’s assets, and he is desperate to get back into power to finish the job,” Mr Traill said.

“He has zero credibility on electricity prices given the record price rises during his term in government.

“The best way Queenslanders can protect themselves from power price rises is to keep our power assets in public hands. And the only way to do that is to put the LNP and One Nation last.”

How will Tim Nicholls pay for more than $22 Billion worth of campaign promises?

Queenslanders concerned Tim Nicholls has no way to pay for the cost of the LNP’s campaign promises fear he is holding back plans to sell the state’s electricity assets until the last minute.

The LNP have so far promised more than $22 Billion worth of policies this campaign, but Mr Nicholls again refused to reveal how they will pay for these promises in an interview on ABC Radio 612 this morning.

Not4Sale Campaign Coordinator Stuart Traill said Tim Nicholls needed to come clean on the LNP’s plan to pay for these commitments, as Queenslanders were fearing the worst.

“At the last election Tim Nicholls was saying asset sales were the only way for the LNP to pay for their promises unless Queenslanders wanted cut to services and jobs, or taxes to be raised,” he said.

“Yet here he is less than three years later refusing to say how he will pay for more than $22 Billion worth of campaign promises.

“We know that he was part of a government that lied to voters in at the last election about there being no jobs cuts, then they got in and sacked over 18,000 public servants.

“So why would anyone believe he won’t sell our assets?”

Mr Traill said voters could not trust Mr Nicholls with the fate of their assets as privatisation was in the LNP’s DNA.

“Tim Nicholls was the architect of the Newman Government’s Strong Choices campaign to sell Queensland’s power networks at the last election. Who can seriously trust he won’t try it again?” he said.

“The best way Queenslanders can protect themselves from power price rises is to keep our power assets in public hands. And the only way to do that is to put the LNP and One Nation last.”

 

For further information please contact: Stuart Traill 0488 225 625 or Dan Nancarrow 0448 633 858

 

LNP’s secret plans to demerge Energy Queensland

7 November 2017

 

Power bills are set to surge under LNP plans to “break up” recently merged electricity distributor Energy Queensland – revealed by Jarrod Bleijie to the Toowoomba Chronicle yesterday.

Not4Sale Campaign Coordinator Stuart Traill slammed the LNP’s decision to quietly reveal plans to break up EQ, despite party leader and long-time asset sales proponent Tim Nicholls only announcing a write down of the electricity distributor on Sunday.

Mr Traill said Queenslanders were set to pay in the hip pocket for the LNP’s clueless decision.

“The merger of Ergon and Energex is delivering $600 million of savings through the removal of duplication, waste and increased efficiencies as a result of common purchasing, work practices and policies,” he said.

“There are zero competition benefits when the distribution network is a monopoly.

“This only shows the LNP have no understanding of the electricity industry and zero credibility on driving down power prices.”

Mr Traill said the demerger decision – along with widely announced plans to split up power generators CS Energy and Stanwell into three – could only be explained as a way to create more assets for the LNP to sell to their big business mates.

“This demerger will only increase power prices and fatten up the demerged entities for privatisation,” he said.

“The only way Queenslanders can ensure their assets stay in public hands and stop power prices skyrocketing is to put the LNP and One Nation last.”

For further information please contact: Stuart Traill 0488 225 625 or Dan Nancarrow 0448 633 858

Power prices set to surge under Nicholls’ wasteful demerger plans

Press Release

Sunday, November 5 2017

Tim Nicholls’ generator demerger plan is an unnecessary duplication of resources which will send Queensland’s power prices surging like they did under the last LNP Government, the Not4Sale campaign said today.

Campaign spokesman Stuart Traill said the demerger of Stanwell and CS Energy into three companies would see an unnecessary 33 per cent increase in operating costs. Under the AER’s mandatory ring fencing guidelines each generator is required to be totally self-sufficient, requiring all the support staff and resources of a separate company.

“This plan will only hit Queenslanders harder in the hip pocket than the 43 per cent power price increases we saw in less than three years under the last LNP Government,” Mr Traill said.

“It’s a wasteful proposal right out of Nicholls’ time as Treasurer when he fattened up the GOCs for asset sales.

“In fact, the only plausible explanation for this unnecessary duplication is that Mr Nicholls’ wants three generators rather than two that he can hawk off to the LNP’s big business mates for sale.”

Mr Traill said the plan stood in stark contrast to the current Palaszczuk Government which had kept assets in public hands and eliminated unnecessary waste and duplication by merging the state’s electricity distributors.

“This is just another reminder that Tim Nicholls and the LNP have zero credibility on electricity prices,” he said.

“The best way Queenslanders can protect themselves from power price rises is to keep our power assets in public hands. And the only way to do that is to put the LNP and One Nation last.”

Asset sales not a ‘deal breaker’ for One Nation

One Nation leave asset sales on the table in hung parliament negotiations

The Not4Sale campaign says One Nation have shown their hand by leaving asset sales on the negotiating table in the eventuation of a hung parliament.

One Nation leader Steve Dickson listed five “deal breaking” policies to Fairfax Media he would demand support for from a coalition partner in the event of a hung parliament, but did not mention asset sales.

Not4Sale Campaign Spokesman Stuart Traill said the failure to name privatisation as a deal breaking policy from a coalition partner was further proof One Nation would support asset sales if told to by the LNP.

“We have seen time and time again in the federal senate One Nation go against their own policy positions in order to support the Turnbull Government – whether it is betraying their stance on foreign investment in approving the sale of Kidman Station to Chinese investors, or backtracking on calls for a royal commission into banks,” Mr Traill said.

“Once One Nation get into power they push their few pet projects through media stunts and then spend the rest of Parliament rubberstamping the LNP’s anti-worker policy agenda. Figures show One Nation Senators vote for Turnbull Government policy more than any other party.

“Put simply One Nation will betray any and all of their policy positions in order to share power with their ideological partners in the LNP – including asset sales.”

The only way Queenslanders can be sure their assets are protected from sale is to put the LNP and One Nation both last.

“Tim Nicholls has to fund $550 million budget shortfall from his payroll tax cut somewhere, and if he isn’t going to force redundancies and he isn’t going to raise taxes the only ‘Strong Choice’ left on the table is asset sales,” Mr Traill said.

For further information please contact: Stuart Traill 0488 225 625 or Dan Nancarrow 0448 633 858

 

2017 Not4Sale campaign begins with Kurwongbah residents warned of Coalition’s threat to public assets

The community campaign credited with toppling Campbell Newman’s one-term Government will kick off again in Brisbane’s northern suburbs tomorrow by warning residents of the threat a LNP and One Nation Coalition government would pose to Queensland assets.

The Not4Sale community campaign successfully stopped the LNP Government’s plans to “lease” public assets at the last Queensland election in 2015. Now the architect of those privatisation plans, Newman’s Treasurer Tim Nicholls, is leading the LNP into the upcoming state election.

Electrical Trades Union Organiser Stuart Traill said the Not4Sale campaign would remind voters Mr Nicholls could not be trusted to protect the state’s assets, as he had long been an advocate of privatisation.

“Tim Nicholls stood infront of the Queensland public as Treasurer three years ago and advocated for the privatisation of the state’s electricity assets as the only way forward for Queensland,” Mr Traill said.

“Mr Nicholls has tried to distance himself from his advocacy of asset sales since becoming LNP leader, but the Queensland won’t be fooled by his empty rhetoric. They know privatisation is hardwired into the DNA of the LNP and it is especially hardwired into the DNA of Tim Nicholls.”

Mr Traill said it was incredibly concerning the leadership team of the One Nation party – Steve Dickson and Sam Cox – were two former LNP MPs who had also advocated for asset sales while they were Members of the Newman Government.

“It is clear both One Nation and the LNP cannot be trusted to protect Queensland’s assets,” he said.

“With Dickson and Cox’s track record of asset sale advocacy, it is only a matter of time before a One Nation and LNP Coalition Government sells off our electricity assets for good.”

Not4Sale campaigners will be speaking to residents in Kurwongbah tomorrow about the threat both parties pose to Queensland’s assets, Mr Traill said.

 

For further information please contact: Stuart Traill 0488 225 625 or Dan Nancarrow 0448 633 858

‘Asset recycling’? ‘Asset leasing’? Queenslanders reject privatisation no matter how its packaged

The Not4Sale campaign has warned Queensland voters to be wary of weasel words employed by proponents of privatisation looking to advocate for asset sales in the lead up to the State Election.

A report in The Australian newspaper today said Infrastructure Partnerships Australia and the Infrastructure Association of Queensland had polled Queensland voters on the option of “asset recycling” to raise funds for infrastructure, as a softer term to sell privatisation.

The term echoes the efforts of the former Newman Government’s Treasurer Tim Nicholls to rebrand asset sales as “asset leasing” in order to make privatisation more palatable to Queenslanders.

ETU Electricity Supply Industry Coordinator Stuart Traill said “asset recycling” was just another weasel word which wouldn’t wash with Queenslanders who had consistently rejected privatisation.

“We saw at the last election that no matter how the LNP sell privatisation to Queenslanders the voters reject asset sales,” he said.

“This issue was poison for the Bligh Government and it was poison for the Newman Government, and it will be poison for any political party who wants to push asset sales.

“No matter if the LNP package privatisation ‘asset sales’ or ‘asset leasing’ ordinary Queenslanders will vote to keep their public properties in Queensland hands.

“You’d have to be an out of touch ideologue who has been in a coma for ten years to imagine otherwise.”

Already it seems asset recycling is failing to be the neoliberal solution to finally achieving privatisation in Queensland.

Despite The Australian article claiming support was “growing” for asset sales, the poll showed less than one fifth of respondents favoured asset recycling as an option to raise funds for infrastructure funding. 

One Nation preparing to betray Queenslanders on asset sales as they embrace another pro-privatisation politician

The Electrical Trades Union says One Nation are preparing to betray Queensland voters on asset sales by recruiting yet another Newman Government MP who supported Tim Nicholls’ Strong Choices campaign.

Former Logan MP Michael Pucci became the fourth former LNP MP to jump ship to One Nation in the lead up to the state election when he resigned his LNP membership this week to became One Nation’s campaign director.

Electrical Trades Union Supply Industry Organiser Stuart Traill said Mr Pucci publicly endorsed the Strong Choices campaign in the lead up to the 2015 election, going so far as to hold a forum in his electorate advocating the privatisation of state electricity assets.

Mr Traill said the recruitment of Mr Pucci, as well as fellow former LNP MPs Sam Cox, Steve Dickson and Neil Symes, indicated One Nation were willing to compromise their stance on privatisation in order to prepare for a power sharing arrangement with the LNP.

“As we have seen in the Federal Parliament One Nation say one thing before an election and do another once they get elected,” Mr Traill said.

“You need to look no further than their support of selling a third of the Kidman cattle station portfolio to Chinese company Shanghai CRED last year, despite their claims to be against foreign ownership.

“And here they are running candidates and recruiting political operatives who have publicly campaigned for asset sales while the party claims to be against privatisation.

“Queenslanders can simply not trust One Nation to protect Queensland’s assets, no matter what they say.”

SA blackout a preview of Queensland’s energy network under privatisation-hungry Nicholls 

The Electrical Trades Union has warned that South Australia’s vulnerable power network is a preview of the kind of fragile system Queenslanders can expect in place under LNP plans to privatise state electricity assets.

The entire state of South Australia went into blackout over night when the state’s power network, operated by Hong Kong based private company Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings under the name SA Power Networks, failed due to damage to a single piece of infrastructure.

South Australian energy customers have since taken to social media angry at paying the highest electricity prices in Australia despite poor service delivery.

ETU Queensland and NT Energy Supply Industry Organiser Stuart Traill said the blackout was a preview of the kind of electricity network Tim Nicholls and the LNP would like to see in Queensland.

“This is exactly the kind of vulnerable network we can expect in Queensland if Tim Nicholls has his way and sells off our electricity assets,” he said.

“Queenslanders can expect the highest energy prices for the weakest, most vulnerable infrastructure.

“Selling off our electricity network to be run so poorly by private, offshore companies is clearly not a ‘Strong Choice’.”

Mr Traill said he hoped Mr Nicholls, the architect of the LNP’s unsuccessful asset sales campaign at the 2015 Queensland Election, would think twice about his privatisation plans in light of the blackout.

“As this blackout in South Australia has shown the maintenance of our electricity network is too important to be compromised by bean counters from private enterprise,” he said.

“Even Federal Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg has said the situation in South Australia is ‘clearly not adequate’.

“Surely now Mr Strong Choices even realises what Queensland voters have been saying loud and clear – ‘our electricity assets need to stay in Queensland hands’.”

One Nation threatens future of Queensland-owned assets by recruiting ‘Strong Choices’ MP

The Electrical Trades Union today called into question One Nation’s anti-privatisation platform following the party’s recruitment of an LNP MP prominent in the Newman Government’s Strong Choices campaign.

Member for Buderim Steve Dickson today switched from the Liberal National Party to One Nation, to become the sole member of Pauline Hanson’s party in Queensland Parliament.

A Minister in the Newman Government, Mr Dickson argued heavily in the lead up to the 2015 election for voters to embrace Tim Nicholls’ privatisation campaign.

But in October last year Mr Dickson stated he went along with the LNP’s position despite not personally supporting the sale of public assets.

Electrical Trades Union Queensland and NT Acting Secretary Peter Ong said the recruitment of an MP who had already cast aside his principles to support the LNP’s privatisation agenda showed One Nation could not be trusted to protect assets.

“As we saw in Federal politics, One Nation talk a lot of talk about how they will represent the interests of working people but when they get into parliament they sell out those very same people by backing LNP legislation,” Mr Ong said.

“Steve Dickson has already put aside his own personal views on privatisation to appease the LNP once before –  no doubt we can expect he and other potential One Nation MPs to sell out Queenslanders again to serve their Liberal friends.

“In fact he’s written the blueprint for One Nation to go against their word and support Nicholls’ sale of Queensland assets.”

Mr Ong said Mr Dickson’s move was not surprising considering how much the LNP and One Nation were beginning to resemble each other.

“One Nation senators in the Federal Government voted with the Turnbull Government more than 80% of the time last year,” he said.

“They are practically an extension of the LNP now, so it doesn’t shock me at all that another Liberal would join former Liberal Pauline Hanson in One Nation.”

Mr Strong Choices Tim Nicholls draws the short straw

Deciding the ridicule he was bombarded with at the 2015 State Election was not enough, the LNP party room have forced Mr Strong Choices, Tim Nicholls, to reluctantly lead them to the Opposition’s next election loss.

Mr Nicholls, the architect of the LNP’s unsuccessful asset sales campaign at the 2015 Queensland Election, dubbed “Strong Choices”, defeated experienced election loser Lawrence Springborg in the party room ballot this morning.

Since announcing his plans to contest the LNP leadership on Thursday, Mr Nicholls has attempted to distance himself from the LNP’s unpopular asset sales agenda.

But ETU State Secretary Peter Simpson said Mr Nicholls’ comments could not be trusted.

“It has been funny to watch the shambles that is the LNP unravel in the public eye over the past week, but make no mistake the LNP’s agenda of privatisation is deadly serious,” he said.

“Mr Nicholls may have ‘reluctantly’ taken on the role as LNP leader but he won’t be reluctant in embracing the asset sales agenda Mr Springborg and his allies at the Courier Mail have pushed this year.

“It is in the LNP’s DNA to sell off private assets. That’s why no pledge from an LNP leader on asset sales can be trusted.

“The only way to ensure Queensland’s assets stay in public hands is to put the LNP last.”

SA blackout a preview of Queensland’s energy network under privatisation-hungry Nicholls 

The Electrical Trades Union has warned that South Australia’s vulnerable power network is a preview of the kind of fragile system Queenslanders can expect in place under LNP plans to privatise state electricity assets.

The entire state of South Australia went into blackout over night when the state’s power network, operated by Hong Kong based private company Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings under the name SA Power Networks, failed due to damage to a single piece of infrastructure.

South Australian energy customers have since taken to social media angry at paying the highest electricity prices in Australia despite poor service delivery.

ETU Queensland and NT Energy Supply Industry Organiser Stuart Traill said the blackout was a preview of the kind of electricity network Tim Nicholls and the LNP would like to see in Queensland.

“This is exactly the kind of vulnerable network we can expect in Queensland if Tim Nicholls has his way and sells off our electricity assets,” he said.

“Queenslanders can expect the highest energy prices for the weakest, most vulnerable infrastructure.

“Selling off our electricity network to be run so poorly by private, offshore companies is clearly not a ‘Strong Choice’.”

Mr Traill said he hoped Mr Nicholls, the architect of the LNP’s unsuccessful asset sales campaign at the 2015 Queensland Election, would think twice about his privatisation plans in light of the blackout.

“As this blackout in South Australia has shown the maintenance of our electricity network is too important to be compromised by bean counters from private enterprise,” he said.

“Even Federal Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg has said the situation in South Australia is ‘clearly not adequate’.

“Surely now Mr Strong Choices even realises what Queensland voters have been saying loud and clear – ‘our electricity assets need to stay in Queensland hands’.”

Further information please contact: Stuart Traill 0488 225 625 or Dan Nancarrow 0448 633 858