The Iemma Government is said to be waiting until APEC to reveal new plans to privatise retail electricity (in the hope that no one will notice).
Already highly unpopular with the public, the move risks alienating NSW voters who will be crucial in the upcoming federal poll.
Sources close to the state government say it will be the first shot in a privatisation war that will also target Sydney ferries and rail maintenance. They say Iemma wants it done and dusted by Christmas while union adversaries are blindsided by John Howard and the national picture.
Galaxy polling, last week, found 62 percent of people opposed selling off the power industry; 60 percent were against flogging parts of the rail network, and 59 percent opposed the privatisation of Sydney Ferries.
Unions NSW assistant secretary, Mark Lennon, said the size of the numbers indicated the Iemma Government would have struggled to have been returned to power, if it had come clean before the state election.
Lennon challenged the NSW state government to hold a plebiscite on its privatisation plans.
Only 25, 28 and 20 percent of respondents, respectively, supported propositions that will be unveiled by Treasurer, Michael Costa, at next week’s Cabinet meeting.
Galaxy found that one in three Labor voters would have been less likely to have supported the party if they had been aware of sell-off plans.
image : https://infrastructuremagazine.com.au/