Business of the House

Mr ANDREW STONER (Oxley—Leader of The Nationals) [3.08 p.m.]: I move:

That General Business Notice of Motion (General Notice) [Electricity Safeguards], of which I gave notice today, have precedence on Thursday 26 June 2008.

I seek precedence to debate this motion because the sell-off of the power industry in this State is one of the most important issues to face people in country and coastal New South Wales for decades. The Nationals are seeking an assurance from the Government that the rural communities impact statement proposed by the Liberal-Nationals Coalition from day one will be conducted properly. The House will recall that the Government's original proposal to sell off the power industry did not provide for the preparation of a rural communities impact statement. I asked the Premier what rural communities impact statement had been undertaken and he revealed that the Government had not even considered it. Once again this Government simply is not interested in the concerns of working families. It is even less interested in families from regional and rural New South Wales.

This State has a highly decentralised power industry: virtually every region of the State has jobs in the power industry. The member for Upper Hunter represents the many power workers in his electorate exceedingly well. He and other country-based members from The Nationals and the Liberal Party have taken a commendable step in demanding that the Government undertake a rural communities impact statement process on its proposal to sell off the State's electricity. However, it will serve no benefit to the community if the rural communities impact statement becomes a Clayton's consultation, which is the standard modus operandi of members opposite. In proposing this motion for debate tomorrow, the Coalition seeks assurances that the rural communities impact statement will be fair dinkum, will provide for genuine community consultation and will allow for public submissions to be received.

The Government has three months in which to undertake the process—that is ample time to hold genuine consultations and receive public submissions. This will be similar to the process undertaken when the Garling special inquiry into health was commissioned; that process provided the public with the opportunity to have its say. I am sure all country-based members in this place know that country people in particular hold grave concerns about the Government's proposed electricity sell-off. They are concerned about the impact on jobs and the long-term impact on prices. Prices are already increasing under this Government and they will skyrocket thanks to Mr Rudd and his Kyoto protocol sign-off. The critical question is: Will prices increase further when the private sector takes over?

Delivering power to remote areas costs more than it does in the metropolitan region because more poles, wires and substations are required to provide country families with this vital utility. Of course, those families are concerned that the private sector will seek to recover those costs in addition to service level costs. The Nationals' principle is one State, one standard. It should not cost more to repair an infrastructure problem to resume power supply at Tibooburra, Wanaaring, Wilcannia or Wentworth—however, the private sector will seek to recover those costs when they occur. The rural communities impact statement must address this issue.

The Government has been dragged kicking and screaming to finally agree to do a rural communities impact statement, but it must be done properly and allow for public input by way of submissions. The silence on this issue from members opposite, particularly those from Country Labor, has been deafening. The so-called convener for Country Labor, the member for Monaro, who is not in the Chamber, has meekly acquiesced with the Government over this proposal since day one. He has been part of the Unsworth inquiry all along. He probably wants to buy the shares in Snowy Hydro that he did not get the opportunity to buy last time around. He had the prospectus to buy those shares. He wants to flog off the lot.

Ms Virginia Judge: Point of order. The member's remarks are totally inappropriate. I ask you to direct him to return to the motion.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member has sought a retraction.

Mr ANDREW STONER: It is on the record, Mr Speaker, so I cannot retract from the record something that has occurred.

Ms Virginia Judge: The member should retract his remarks and apologise to the member.

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr JOHN AQUILINA (Riverstone—Leader of the House) [3.13 p.m.]: It appears that the Opposition is running out of things to do: it is now resorting to tedious repetition, which is precisely what this motion is about. The Leader of The Nationals has made most of these remarks several times before; his comments are nothing new.

The SPEAKER: Order! Members will cease interjecting.

Mr JOHN AQUILINA: Clearly, there is no point in repeating issues that have been debated and discussed interminably for several months. For more than a year the New South Wales Government has been engaged in a genuine consultation process right across the community over the future of the State's electricity supplies. The Nationals have been directly involved in that process. For the information of the Leader of The Nationals, the consultation process began in May 2007 when the Owen inquiry was first commissioned. The process continued while the Government considered its response to the Owen inquiry, again providing an extensive period of consultation. It continued further when the Unsworth consultative committee process sought submissions from interested parties throughout New South Wales. One would think that included submissions from rural parts of this State.

Unlike The Nationals, which has a closeted and narrow view of what constitutes the State of New South Wales, the Labor Party believes it is the whole of New South Wales, including rural communities. That is what Country Labor is all about. The Government includes the whole of the State, not just a narrow, sectional interest. From the beginning the Government has been engaged in a genuine process, consulting about its plans to retain public ownership of the power stations, transmission and distribution infrastructure, consulting about guarantees on jobs and ongoing price regulation, and consulting about plans to increase apprentice numbers, particularly in rural and regional New South Wales.

Mr George Souris: Point of order. I am taking an intense interest in the member's contribution.

The SPEAKER: Order! What is the point of order?

Mr George Souris: The member for Riverstone is speaking at such a rapid rate that I missed one section. Did he say "retain the electricity assets of the State"? Did he use the word "retain"? Would he mind clarifying the word "retain"?

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Upper Hunter will resume his seat. That is not a point of order.

Mr JOHN AQUILINA: If the member for Upper Hunter did not understand what I was saying, it was probably because I was speaking so passionately about the particular point the Government wants to make about rural New South Wales.

The SPEAKER: Order! Members of the Opposition will contain themselves.

Mr JOHN AQUILINA: That is why the New South Wales Government has no issue with the development of a rural communities impact statement: the Government is committed to that process. Everybody, including Opposition members and members of The Nationals in particular, will be able to participate in the process. The statement currently being prepared on behalf of the Government by qualified independent experts will focus on jobs and service levels, and other related issues. As with all statements of this nature, it will have an associated consultation process embedded in it. The consultation process for developing this statement will include peak groups, such as the Council of Social Service of New South Wales, the Country Women's Association, the New South Wales Farmers' Association, the Local Government and Shires Association, and the Hunter and Illawarra business chambers. Clearly, it will consult with representatives of rural communities as much as representatives of other parts of this State.

At the specific request of The Nationals, the following organisations have been contacted to participate: the Mid North Coast Business Chamber, the Central West Business Chamber, the Northern Rivers Business Chamber and the Riverina Business Chamber. I am advised that the Leader of The Nationals also lobbied for the ETU to be part of this process, but when he was told that "ETU" stood for the Electrical Trades Union he withdrew the request. The Nationals have been directly involved in nominating parties to participate in the statement process. There is no need to debate this motion tomorrow. The motion is opposed.

Question—That the motion be agreed to—put.

The House divided.

Question resolved in the negative.

Motion negatived.