Hatton joins the fight against energy privatisation

Anti-corruption campaigner John Hatton has joined the fight against a beleaguered NSW government in protesting the sale of the state’s electricity assets.

In a letter to the Governor of NSW Mr Hatton requests the immediate recall of Parliament to block the sale.

“Sitting Parliament is the only way to block the sale overwhelmingly opposed by the people of NSW,” Mr Hatton said.

“It’s time to assert the supremacy of Parliament to examine the sale by a secret and dodgy process of $5,300 million dollars worth of public assets.”

Mr Hatton was a Member for the South Coast for 22 years.

His work fighting corruption resulted in the Wood Royal Commission into Police Corruption, in 1994, and other major inquiries which exposed corruption in the judiciary and several government departments.

He is standing a team of independents for election to the Upper House in the March state election.

Mr Hatton said the sale was a “corruption of process” and demonstrated a lack of accountability and abuse of power by the government.

“Parliamentary democracy has been hijacked,” he said.

“Losses and liabilities are massive. The ongoing costs to taxpayers and projected rises in electricity costs are crushing.”

He called for interested individuals to take part in an online petition to the NSW Governor at www.parliamentmustresit.com.au.

The sale has continued to cause pain for NSW Premier Kristina Kenneally who came under fire when she originally revealed the plan and again earlier this week when the second part of the multiple-billion-dollar-sale collapsed when no bids were lodged by the deadline.

The collapse comes after a massive wave of negative publicity and sentiment generated by a recent upper house inquiry into sale’s first part.

The inquiry, which was sparked by the resignation of eight power company directors in protest over the sale, quickly descended into bickering between state and opposition members.

“The Opposition won’t reveal its hand,” Mr Hatton said.

“The Leader of the Opposition simply points to an expensive judicial inquiry after the election and after the sale.”

Mr Hatton said his request was not about the Governor entering the debate, but “rather acting to enhance and facilitate democratic process”.

“If the Governor recalls Parliament, it will assert the right of the people of NSW to parliamentary democracy and open and accountable process,” he said.

Evidence given at the inquiry revealed taxpayers could reap less than $1 billion from the $5.3 billion paid for the assets, which included three electricity retailers and the trading rights attached to two power generation companies.

The government has been seeking offers for the electricity trading rights to the state-owned Macquarie Generation and the central coast power stations owned by Delta Electricity.

They were expected to reap another $2 billion for the government.

Last month, Premier Kristina Keneally and Mr Roozendaal sealed a $5.3 billion deal in the first stage of selling off the state’s electricity assets.

Ms Keneally then shut down Parliament early – a move that forced the Upper House inquiry to be held outside the sitting calendar and angered the opposition and drew wide ranging criticism.

Last week Ms Keneally rejected claims the government had abandoned the sale to avoid more political pain.