Former energy staffer stands by privatisation claim

Date
    February 21, 2013


The former senior WA Government staffer accused of fabricating information about Barnett's plans to privatise the state's utilities has stood behind his claims that selling Western Power was on the agenda for the Liberals.

Energy Minister Peter Collier's former chief of staff Darren Brown prompted a small pre-election wrangle on Tuesday when he mentioned a conversation on his private blog, in which "a very clear line from the Premier's office" was that privatisation of the utility was a "second term project."

WA Labor jumped on the revelation with shadow treasurer Ben Wyatt issuing a statement that Brown's comments were proof Premier Colin Barnett planned to sell off WA's utilities to recoup the state's mounting debt.

"Colin Barnett has repeatedly failed to come clean on how he planned to reign in ttate debt, which has increased by a staggering 400 per cent on his watch," Mr Wyatt said.    


"Now we know why Mr Barnett has been so cagey – he plans to privatise the state's utilities.

"Mr Barnett has been dishonest with Western Australians about his privatisation agenda and now has some serious explaining to do."    

But Mr Barnett dismissed Brown's comments, in a blanket denial, saying they were simply "untrue".

"There will be no privatisation," Mr Barnett said in a statement.

Mr Brown said regardless of "various attempts to personally discredit him" he would stand by his statement.

"It is 100 per cent accurate," he said.    

"While the public must accept the latest promise on face value, it is a revised position," he said.

"Selling assets such as Western Power is well within the core ideology of the traditional Liberal Party.

"The government's decisions to rapidly push for "cost reflectivity" in energy tariffs and increase state debt over the past four years are perhaps more telling than anything that privatisation, at least, was on the agenda."

Read more: http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/state-election-2013/former-energy-staffer-stands-by-privatisation-claim-20130220-2erkx.html#ixzz2LrYgI4AU

Colin Barnett has repeatedly failed to come clean on how he planned to reign in state debt, which has increased by a staggering 400 per cent on his watch," Mr Wyatt said.