Stop the sell-off Community rally

Iemma and Costa – selling off our climate future

Mark next Tuesday February 26th in your diary - and come to the community rally to oppose the NSW Government sell off of our electricity.

11am Tuesday 26 February
Outside NSW Parliament House
Macquarie Street, Sydney

NSW Premier Iemma and Treasurer Costa are hastily planning to sell the electricity retail arms of Energy Australia, Integral Energy and Country Energy, and sell the state's power generators to the private sector for fifty years.

Allowing private, profit-driven corporations to control NSW's biggest source of domestic greenhouse pollution would be an unmitigated disaster for the climate. Iemma's plan is designed to encourage private corporations to build a new baseload power station, significantly increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Iemma and Costa are misleading the community and workers on the real cost of the sell-off of our energy: selling off public control of our climate future.

The privatisation of electricity in Victoria saw electricity prices skyrocket to an all time high, hundreds of jobs sent offshore, and kept the world's most polluting coal-fired power stations in operation – an experience echoed across the world.

The NSW coal-fired power stations up for sale are among the most polluting in the world - the Eraring power station emits over 20 million tons of CO2 each year (Carbon Monitoring for Action, 2008, http://carma.org/plant/detail/12587). Privatisation of such stations will ensure that we continue down the coal-fired path of climate change.

Private electricity retailers would have a financial imperative to increase demand for electricity, thereby increasing our state's greenhouse pollution. This is the exact opposite of what needs to happen. We need a moratorium on coal fired power stations, and we need to start phasing them out. Phasing out coal, and cutting unsustainable energy demand, will not be driven by profit-motivated companies. It requires strong government intervention.

Environmentalists support the union movement's mobilisation to fight the privatisation plans. We agree the plan threatens the rights of working people across NSW, and our right to affordable electricity. It is a major setback to efforts for serious action on climate change.

Join us on Tuesday, February 26 at Parliament House, and in the ongoing campaign with workers and unions against the sell-off and for a just transition to a clean energy future.

If you have ideas, input, or want to join us, please contact
Holly Creenaune at Friends of the Earth Sydney - holly.creenaune {AT} foe.org.au / 0417 682 541
Steve Phillips at Rising Tide Newcastle – steve {AT} risingtide.org.au / 0437 275 119
Kathryn Ticehurst at the Australian Student Environment Network – kate {AT} asen.org.au / 0401 350 436

To get informed, connected and active – visit www.stoptheselloff.org.au
And more information on energy and climate change impacts of privatisation, see http://www.johnkaye.org.au/campaigns/energy/coal/privatisation


Renewable energy is people's power
More jobs, stronger communities, a clean environment.

Friends of the Earth Sydney – www.foe.org.au
Rising Tide – www.risingtide.org.au
Australian Student Environment Network – www.asen.org.au