SYDNEY—The privatisation of NSW's electricity assets should go ahead despite resounding opposition to the plan by ALP delegates, the NSW Business Chamber says.
Premier Morris Iemma suffered a humiliating defeat at the ALP state conference in Sydney yesterday when delegates overwhelmingly rejected his plan for a $15 billion sell-off of the state's electricity industry.
"The premier showed enormous courage in facing his critics ... and he should be applauded for staring down the unions and committing the government to electricity privatisation," Chamber CEO Kevin MacDonald said in a statement.
"Without privatisation NSW faces serious and significant energy issues, including the likelihood of power shortages within six years.
"The only way to avert such a power shortage would be for NSW to spend in the order of $15 billion in order to bring the NSW electricity assets up to scratch. That's money NSW does not have."
The Chamber, representing some 30,000 members, also called on the opposition to support the privatisation plan.
"The alternate government needs to act like the alternate government and resist the temptation to give the premier a `bloody nose' over privatisation," Mr MacDonald said.
"If the legislation falls over in the parliament because it is blocked by the opposition then the NSW taxpayers will be the losers."
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