Electricity Industry Privatisation

Mr BARRY O'FARRELL: My question is directed to the Premier. In light of his Government's history of failed deals with the private sector—and their consequences for taxpayers—will he ensure the public interest is protected in his power privatisation plan and agree to the Auditor-General's involvement in the process from day one?

Mr John Williams: Tell us your plan, Captain Mainwaring.

The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for Murray-Darling to order.

Mr MORRIS IEMMA: The Member for Murray-Darling might tell us what his position is today. I have the press release. It is good to see that the Leader of the Opposition has finally woken up. He talks about Auditor-General oversight. For his benefit I inform him that the Auditor-General has oversight and releases regular reports on State finances. The Leader of the Opposition thinks that lying low and just creeping along is leadership on big issues. That is what the Leader of the Opposition tried last week. At 4.30 in the afternoon, when everybody had all but gone, he finally had the backbone to state a position. He thought he would get away with it by sneaking it out at 4.30 when our friends in the press gallery had all but finished for the day. He slipped it out so that nobody would notice. It contained five points. The first point was about the Auditor-General, and we have dealt with that.

The second point was to protect pensioners. He certainly went further than he did 12 months ago when he said in the House, "When I sell retail we will have to give consideration to consumers." He now refers to protection of pensioners. If he had been awake four months ago he would have seen in the response to the Owen report and the Unsworth committee the Government announced indexation of pensioner rebates. We have already done that. He was happy to comply and include that one. As he is always on about getting detail, I might mention the other social safety net measures we announced in response to the Unsworth committee, such as additional assistance for those on sickness benefits.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Coffs Harbour will cease interjecting.

Mr MORRIS IEMMA: When it comes to regional employment, if he was awake on the day I gave this Chamber the Government's response to the Unsworth committee, he would have noted that the Government accepted the recommendations of the Unsworth committee and introduced additional protection measures for regional workers.

The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for Murray-Darling to order for the second time.

Mr MORRIS IEMMA: That was his third point. The fourth point is about jobs. I am happy to restate that the objective in all of this is not only about securing the State's future energy needs— when one is seeking to build a power station or two, jobs are created. I am glad the Leader of the Opposition finally cottoned on to that and he included that in the joint statement by Leader of the Liberal Party and Leader of The Nationals. So, we have rewound the clock to 12 months ago when the two of them said in the Chamber that they would do what Peter Beattie did and sell retail. The only difference is that it took them 12 months to come back to their original position. In the meantime the member for Murray-Darling is saying, "I do not support Mr O'Farrell and I do not support Mr Stoner."

Mr Barry O'Farrell: Point of order: My point of order relates to Standing Order 129. If the Premier is so confident, why will he not agree to the Auditor-General oversighting the process from day one?

The SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order.

Mr Andrew Fraser: Why won't you answer it?

Mr MORRIS IEMMA: We have. We are always supportive of the Auditor-General. I come down to the last point in the five-point wake-up plan issued by the Leader of the Opposition at 4.30 on Thursday afternoon. His last point says, "Our position also includes retention of poles and wires in public ownership." Someone must have given him a tip that it was in the Owen report. If not, he might have got it from the Government's response in December. If not, he might have got it from the Government's statement in February and, if not, he might have got it from the Unsworth report. On four occasions the Government has given an absolute assurance that the poles and wires for transmission distribution will remain in public ownership. It is good to see that it has taken him 12 months to come to the same conclusion.

As for public-private partnerships for delivery of infrastructure, the Leader of the Opposition might explain the airport rail link, as he was transport adviser to the then transport Minister, Mr Baird—another Baird. I was sitting on the other side of the Chamber when another Mr Baird said to the Chamber, "At no cost to taxpayers"—in the dying moments before an election—"southern airport rail link." But, $800 million later the New South Wales taxpayer is still paying. I remind the Leader of the Opposition that when I was Minister for Health I had to buy back Port Macquarie hospital. Yes, the New South Wales taxpayer paid for it twice, and had we not intervened a couple of years ago and bought it back, New South Wales taxpayers would be paying for it a third time.

The SPEAKER: Order! I call the Leader of The Nationals to order.

Mr MORRIS IEMMA: I remember the words of the Leader of The Nationals when I informed the House that the Government had intervened to buy back Port Macquarie hospital. The Leader of The Nationals said, "It is a waste of money."