Iemma must pull the plug on power sell-off muddle

Dr Kaye said: "The Iemma government is desperately clutching at straws to save face and avoid an embarrassing defeat on the floor of parliament.
 
"Treasurer Michael Costa has caved in to the Opposition's demands for an Auditor-General's report on the sell-off before voting on the legislation.
 
"The sell-off process is stalled and Treasurer Costa has been forced to negotiate with the Coalition to get himself out of bind.
 
"He is hoping this will buy the government some time by providing an excuse for not pushing ahead with the privatisation legislation.
 
"However, the Auditor-General will find it very difficult to report in a meaningful way on the existing bill, which gives extraordinarily wide discretionary power to the Treasurer to determine the structure of the industry and the nature of the sale.
 
"It is hard to see how the Auditor-General could give the process a tick.
 
"The Iemma government is digging itself deeper into this hole.
 
"No doubt the Treasurer will to use this period to pressure Labor MPs to not cross the floor and vote against the government.
 
"It is now time for the Premier Morris Iemma to take command and dump the sell off before it does even more damage to his government.
 
"Electricity privatisation was always bad for the environment, households, the economy and power workers.
 
"Now it has become a poisoned pill for the Iemma government," Dr Kaye said.
 

For more information: John Kaye 0407 195 455