Newman Government’s Privatisation Plans Could Force Prices Upward

Media release

Palmer United Party Queensland Leader and candidate for Kawana, Carl Judge, has reaffirmed his party’s firm stance against the Newman government’s growing appetite for the sale of state assets – and he’s not alone.

In June this year the chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Rod Sims, set alarm bells ringing when he warned the new wave of state government privatisations, including electricity ­distributors and ports, could hurt competition and push up prices.

Mr Judge said the Newman government’s list of assets for sale involves essential infrastructure and could potentially lead to costly outcomes for consumers according to authoritative sources.

“It’s not rocket science, infrastructure like our ports are, by definition, natural monopolies and their transfer to private ownership awards significant pricing power to the new owners, which is generally passed on to end users,” Mr Judge said.

“The cash splash promises flowing from asset sales are more about securing another term of parliament for Liberal National Party MPs, rather than benefiting the future of everyday Queenslanders.

“This will be the legacy of the current state government – grand statements of false hope based on a short-term cash injection after they’ve sold the family silver.

“In Kawana you’ve got a politician like Jarrod Bleijie who appears for the very public purposes of political grandstanding, but then he disappears when the going gets tough and people need him most.”

Mr Judge said Mr Bleijie and Mr Newman are one in the same.

“The Premier has turned the act of making grand statements into a weekly sport,” he said.

“The Premier and the Attorney-General seem to be competing against each other like two contestants on The Voice.

“Unfortunately the reality of this show is unemployment has increased to the highest levels in over a decade under the watch of the Newman Government and ministers like Jarrod Bleijie.

“That is a fact they can’t run away from.”

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