Privatisation in NSW: An update
Since 1989, NSW governments have privatised 72 government enterprises, the majority of which have been in the energy (24) and transport (18) sectors. Privatisation can also refer to the full or partial transfer of government property or services to the private sector, or the construction and operation of a public asset under arrangements such as a public private partnership (PPP).
Provides a brief overview of recent developments, including the introduction of several pieces of legislation aimed at preventing the privatisation of state-owned assets and two parliamentary committee inquiries that commenced in 2023. Includes a timeline of privatisations that have occurred in NSW since 1989 up to the most recent sale of the Westconnex Group in 2021.
Daniel Montoya, BEnvSc (Hons), PhD
Christine Lamerton, BA (Lib Sci), AALIA
Parliamentary Research Service
Research Paper 1, 2024
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Key points
This paper focuses on privatisations of government enterprises by sale or lease.
Privatisation can also refer to the full or partial transfer of government property or services to the private sector, or the construction and operation of a public asset under arrangements such as a public private partnership (PPP). Since the most recent privatisation of WestConnex Group in 2021, privatisation has been the subject of significant parliamentary debate, 2 parliamentary inquiries and several pieces of legislation.
The data visualisation shows trends by sector between 1989 and 2023
Since 1989, NSW governments have privatised 72 government enterprises, the majority of which have been in the energy (24) and transport (18) sectors. Click on chart elements such as the bars or legend to see more detail about the privatisations that occurred in each year and by sector.
Click on table headings to rearrange the table by column. All figures are in 2022 dollars.
Published: 19 January 2024
This paper updates Privatisation in NSW: A timeline and key sources published by the NSW Parliamentary Research Service in 2017.