Huge Qld public assets sale planned by Newman

13 December 2013: KAP Leader and Federal Member for Kennedy Bob Katter has today hit out at reports of the QLD LNP Government’s intention to sell off state owned power and port assets, asserting electricity prices will rise and that assets are being sold to “hand out a heap of lolly pops before the next election”.

“The QLD Premier has laid down the gauntlet for the next State election campaign. He was in Canberra this week, and there is no secret what he was down there to discuss. The great assets built by our forbearers will now be sold off so he can now buy his way through the next election.” Mr Katter said

It is the policy of KAP to build and own state assets for all Queenslanders and Australians to share wealth and prosperity.

KAP Federal President Shane Paulger said “the party would be tenaciously opposing the sell-off of assets Queenslanders have worked for and owned for generations.”

Mr Katter said “It is the people’s blood, sweat, tears and taxes that built those assets and they belong to the people, not the government and crown.”

“I handed over the cheapest electricity prices in 1990 when I was the Queensland Minister. We had a cost-recovery reserve resource policy and the government built arguably the biggest power station in the world. The current Queensland Government corporatise and privatise ownership model is profit driven, not cost recovery.”

“First the ALP State Government abolished the cost-recovery model and moved to corporatise and privatise, this was followed by increases in electricity charges by over 100% in a little over 8 years. This mob, the LNP, have only been in there for 18 months and they have kicked it up another 34%.” Mr Katter said.

“It has been turned into a cash milking cow for greedy governments and now it will be a golden hand shake to their financial backers when they flog it off to one of their corporate cronies who will then have a monopoly owned by 2-3 corporations where they can charge the people whatever they feel like.”

Mr Katter pointed to the Galilee Basin railway line as an example of how government should be building state owned assets for the benefit of all Queenslanders and the Nation.

“If the government built a Galilee Basin railway line, their profits would be between $2-3000 million per year- plenty of money to service the debt. If we, the old Country/National party or Old Labor party, which is the modern KAP, were in government the railway line would have been completed by the end of next year and there would be 50,000 jobs for Queensland and in a few years $2-3000 million per annum in profit.

“We plead with people to move away from the mainstream parties and give back to the people ownership of essential services and good government. If you don’t you will have what has been a 134% increase over the last 9 years, happening every 3-4 years as it has under the ALP and LNP control.” Mr Katter said.

131213 Build and Own; Don’t Sack and Sell.pdf