❓ Mr. Johnston questions the Treasurer's conflicting statements regarding the potential sale of Western Power. The Treasurer denies planning to sell or lease Western Power and criticizes the previous Labor government's energy policy.
AnsweredQoN 458Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WESTERN
POWER — PRIVATISATION
458. Mr W.J. JOHNSTON to the
Treasurer:
I have a supplementary question. The Treasurer said on Friday
that he would take the sale of Western Power to the next election, but then
ruled it out yesterday. What exactly is his plan for the energy network system
in Western Australia?
POWER — PRIVATISATION
458. Mr W.J. JOHNSTON to the
Treasurer:
I have a supplementary question. The Treasurer said on Friday
that he would take the sale of Western Power to the next election, but then
ruled it out yesterday. What exactly is his plan for the energy network system
in Western Australia?
AnswerView source ↗
I know that the member does not listen or that he has some
problem with hearing. I did not say that we were going to take the Western
Power issue to the election and I did not say we were going to sell it. I said
that the problem in Western Australia was that when the Labor government went
into its so-called reform of electricity—as was debated in this
Parliament at the time, and as I have said many times before—it should
have sold generating assets some years ago, but it could not do so, and as a
result it loaded Synergy and the state up with billions of dollars in losses.
That is Labor's contribution to energy policy. It should have sold the
asset and allowed the private sector to buy in and take the risk, and this
state would have been much wealthier and much better off if it had done that,
but it could not do it. That is the context. To be clear: we did not, I have
not, and it is a policy of government to not sell or lease Western Power.
problem with hearing. I did not say that we were going to take the Western
Power issue to the election and I did not say we were going to sell it. I said
that the problem in Western Australia was that when the Labor government went
into its so-called reform of electricity—as was debated in this
Parliament at the time, and as I have said many times before—it should
have sold generating assets some years ago, but it could not do so, and as a
result it loaded Synergy and the state up with billions of dollars in losses.
That is Labor's contribution to energy policy. It should have sold the
asset and allowed the private sector to buy in and take the risk, and this
state would have been much wealthier and much better off if it had done that,
but it could not do it. That is the context. To be clear: we did not, I have
not, and it is a policy of government to not sell or lease Western Power.
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