Local media coverage: Stop the sell-off!

Check out this coverage from the February 10 Wollongong & Northern Leader. Over 100 people rallied against privatisation in Wollongong on Sunday February 6. Thanks to John Kaye's (Greens MLC) office for organising the action.

Scroll down this blog for Paola's speech to the rally and to hear Jess Moore's speech visit http://socialistalliancewollongong.blogspot.com/2011/02/stop-sell-off-climate-action-now.html

Stop the sell-off! Defend public assets!

Check out Paola's speech from the 'Stop the sell-off' rally held in Wollongong on Sunday February 6. Organised by John Kaye (Greens MLC) other speakers included Jess Moore, Wollongong Climate Action Network; George Takacs, Greens candidate for Keira; Arthur Rorris, secretary, South Coast Labour Council; and Kaye. For Moore's speech visit: http://socialistalliancewollongong.blogspot.com/2011/02/stop-sell-off-climate-action-now.html

Paola called for the annulment and reversal of the sale of electricity assets and a price freeze on electricity for households.

Power privatisation is ripping us off!

MEDIA RELEASE

Thursday January 20, 2011 - Paola Harvey, Socialist Alliance candidate for Keira, has promised to never support privatisation of the electricity industry. Today she challenged all candidates to declare the same.

'Electricity must be kept in public hands, not sold off to private interests' , said Harvey. 'Every day brings new revelations about how the government has repeatedly lied to us about the terms of and the so called “benefits” of privatisation. The figures - showing that the sell-off will only net a profit of $400 million - are pitiful compared to the benefits of keeping electricity in public hands.

'$400 million will go no where near covering the costs of increasing electricity prices, unreliability of service, job losses and the damaging environmental impacts that are almost certain to follow from placing electricity in private hands.

'The foolishness of the deal can be seen in the fact that the public will have to pay for development of a highly contentious coal-mine, where the profits will flow to private business. In every single way this deal is a dud for the people of New South Wales.

'We are being ill-served by the Liberal opposition and the mass media who spoke out only against the terms of the sell-off but not against privatisation of public assets on principle. A privately owned power industry, like in Victoria, will push up prices, cut jobs, neglect maintenance and will make it harder to make the transition to clean energy sources.

'A publicly owned electricity industry can and should be run for the public good, whilst a privately owned industry will put profits above and beyond everything else. Privatisation should be rejected full stop and this is what I pledge to argue for in the elections', concluded Harvey.

Gellatly complicit in theft of public assets!

Wednesday January 19, 2011

MEDIA RELEASE - Socialist Alliance candidate for Keira, Paola Harvey, has condemned Wollongong Council administrator Col Gellatly for his role in the privatisation of NSW electricity assets. She has called for the sacking of the administrators and a return to democracy for Wollongong.

'The case for council elections in Wollongong was clear long before the latest revelations, but they have confirmed what has long been suspected. The administrators aren't serving the people of Wollongong but rather are doing the bidding of the state government', said Harvey.

'While Col Gellatly is an Administrator, at the same time he is chairman of the government's Electricity Reform Taskforce, a job he is being paid $540,000 for. This “reform taskforce” was basically assigned to find a way to privatise the electricity industry as quickly as possible. But when 8 directors of Delta Electricity and Eraring Energy resigned, NSW Treasurer Roozendahl appointed Gellatly to the board and directed him to push through the sale'.

'This is a conflict of interest, as many have have pointed out. More importantly, Gellatly is not only denying the democratic will of the people of Wollongong as an administrator, he is denying the democratic will of the people of NSW, who remain overwhelmingly opposed to privatisation of the electricity industry'.

Socialist Alliance will be using the state election to campaign for fresh elections for Wollongong Council and for reversing the privatisation of electricity.

'Gellatly and the administrators are responsible for many decisions that are already increasing the cost of living for Wollongong citizens; parking meters for example. But Gellatly's role in privatisation is much worse. It will lead to higher electricity prices for all households — something the people of Wollongong cannot afford. Maybe Gellatly himself, who in addition to his $540,000, earns $85,280 for being administrator, should be footing the bill for families that can't afford the extra expenses his actions will cause?

'But we must remember that responsibility for the privatisation remains primarliy with the NSW Labor Party. The people of Wollongong are being ill-served by local MP's who have supported privatisation every step of the way. The only way to ensure that public assets will no longer be sold is to reject the politics of both Labor and Liberal parties and vote for parties committed to keeping public assets in public hands', Harvey concluded.

Stop the sell-off; stop the price increases!

Friday December 17, 2010

MEDIA RELEASE - Paola Harvey, Socialist Alliance candidate for Keira in the NSW state election, has announced she supports a freeze on electricity price increases for households. Her statement comes after an Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) survey that shows more than half of all low-income families with mortgages are struggling to pay their power bills.

'The people of NSW, most of whom are already struggling with cost of living expenses, saw electricity price increases in July. Over the next three years prices are set to rise by at least 20% and up to 64%. These are increases that many people simply cannot afford and will drive people further into debt. The government needs to put controls in place that will guarantee no further price increases for households', said Harvey.

'At the same time, we need to stop all discounts given to big business. In 2005-2006 the fossil fuel industry was given up to $1.9 billion worth of electricity subsidies across Australia. Imagine if this money was used instead to help those low-income earners, or used to invest in clean, renewable energy? People shouldn't have to put up with price increases while the big polluters are receiving handouts.

Harvey stands for keeping public assets in public hands, including opposition to the privatisation of electricity. She announced her support for the Electrical Trades Union (ETU) statement that the union wouldn't support candidates who support privatisation.

'Bernie Riordon, ETU Secretary, was sacked as NSW ALP President for his union taking a principled stand that they cannot support candidates who support electricity privatisation. This shows how out of touch the Labor Party is. How could the ETU support the Labor government, which has already privatised electricity assets, which will see job losses, price increases, less reliable service and less environmental safeguards, as has been the case in Victoria and South Australia?

'The fact is that the vast majority of people in this state want to keep electricity in public hands. As a candidate, I pledge to fight for the annulment of the sale of recently sold electricity assets, which was done in an undemocratic and secretive manner and oppose the further privatisation of the electricity network. I will be guided by the principle that public assets should be held in public hands and should be used for the public good', Harvey concluded.