Letters to the Editor in The Daily Examiner on 23 March 2015:
Whole
truth
On March 15, NSW Nationals Leader
Troy Grant was quoted in the national media as stating of the Baird
Government's electricity privatisation plan that: "Country poles and wires
will remain 100 per cent in public hands".
On June 13, 2014, the Member for
Clarence, Chris Gulaptis, was quoted in The Daily Examiner: "With
Essential Energy exempt from the deal it will remain in public hands and retain
control of the poles and lines".
Both politicians are not being as
truthful as they could be.
Power to businesses and homes on
the NSW North Coast does not just magically flow from Essential Energy.
What Grant and Gulaptis are not
saying is that an estimated 12,700km of high voltage transmission lines and 94
substations which criss-cross the state are part of the state-owned Transgrid
network and these will be offered for sale with a price tag in the billions for
the 99-year lease. Transgrid's transmission lines supply electricity to
"electricity distributors such as AusGrid, Essential Energy and Endeavour
Energy" [www.transgrid.com.au, March 2015].
In other words, the main conveyer
of power to regional electricity networks in the Clarence, Richmond, Brunswick
and Tweed valleys will be effectively sold-off if National Party candidates
standing in the Clarence, Lismore, Ballina and Tweed electorates succeed in
winning these seats on March 28.
This will eventually translate
into price increases for local business and residential users, because a
privatised Transgrid will not absorb the future cost of infrastructure
maintenance/replacement and will pass this cost through to Essential Energy in
its contract rate [TransGrid's Transmission Prices July 1 2014 to June 30 2015].
Judith M. Melville
Yamba
People to pay
Regarding Brian Haselum's letter
(March 18), I believe the proceeds from the privatisation of our electricity is
to be spent on new infrastructure.
This will result in a shortfall
of the State Government's income by around $1.7 billion per annum.
Whether it is electricity prices
that go up or something else, it will be the people of NSW who will have pay
for the Government's annual shortfall.
People should keep this in mind
when they vote on the 28th.
Trevor West
South Grafton
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