Media Release
23 April 2014
Shadow Treasurer Curtis Pitt said Tim Nicholls has fully
committed to his inaccurate and misleading asset sales website funded by
taxpayers as part of a wasteful $6 million political advertising
campaign.
“The Treasurer knows he is misleading Queenslanders and using millions of dollars of taxpayer funds to do it,” Mr Pitt said.
“He was given an opportunity to fix his mistakes, but he’s refused.
“It just shows that it was the Treasurer’s plan all along to push a taxpayer funded lie that serves his political interests.
“Many Queenslanders will be wondering how much lower the LNP can stoop if they’re willing to waste $6 million of taxpayer money on a misleading PR campaign.
“If this was a health promotion campaign and it contained factually incorrect material, it would be pulled immediately.
“But because it’s the LNP’s taxpayer funded political ad campaign, the Treasurer sweeps it under the carpet and is happy to pull the wool over Queenslanders’ eyes.
“The arrogance of the Treasurer and the Newman LNP Government never ceases to amaze.
“The Treasurer has claimed that I don’t understand the State’s finances in a desperate attempt to cover up the fact that his website is factually misleading as part of a pathetic attempt to con Queenslanders into supporting asset sales.
“Despite the Treasurer’s claims, nowhere on the website does it talk about transferring the existing debt of Energex, Ergon and Powerlink to the private sector.
“Even if the government did this, it would still not provide the $28 billion or more Tim Nicholls and his misleading website claim can go towards the repayment of existing debt.
“Today it has been revealed in the Australian Financial Review that investment banks are demanding placements on the boards of the electricity network companies if they are to take on existing debt.
“If this is the Treasurer’s proposal than it will involve a divestment of Energex, Ergon and Powerlink’s existing assets as collateral”.
The Premier said in Parliament in April last year: “So let me be absolutely clear today that we decided to not consider divestment of Energex, Ergon or Powerlink to pay down the debt that was accrued by the former financially inept government and we certainly will not be seeking any mandate to undertake a sale of those assets at the next election.”
In November 2012 the Premier said: “The poles and wires transmission stuff, I believe, should be owned by the people because they are natural monopolies.”
“A divestment of Energex, Ergon and Powerlink with partial control of these companies handed to the private sector is privatisation. To say otherwise is a blatant deception”, Mr Pitt said.
“The Treasurer has long been on the record about his support for selling the poles and the wires and last year endorsed a report calling for a fire-sale of every electricity asset in Queensland.
“The only choice for Queenslanders will be at the next election. The LNP will sell your assets, Labor won’t.”
“The Treasurer knows he is misleading Queenslanders and using millions of dollars of taxpayer funds to do it,” Mr Pitt said.
“He was given an opportunity to fix his mistakes, but he’s refused.
“It just shows that it was the Treasurer’s plan all along to push a taxpayer funded lie that serves his political interests.
“Many Queenslanders will be wondering how much lower the LNP can stoop if they’re willing to waste $6 million of taxpayer money on a misleading PR campaign.
“If this was a health promotion campaign and it contained factually incorrect material, it would be pulled immediately.
“But because it’s the LNP’s taxpayer funded political ad campaign, the Treasurer sweeps it under the carpet and is happy to pull the wool over Queenslanders’ eyes.
“The arrogance of the Treasurer and the Newman LNP Government never ceases to amaze.
“The Treasurer has claimed that I don’t understand the State’s finances in a desperate attempt to cover up the fact that his website is factually misleading as part of a pathetic attempt to con Queenslanders into supporting asset sales.
“Despite the Treasurer’s claims, nowhere on the website does it talk about transferring the existing debt of Energex, Ergon and Powerlink to the private sector.
“Even if the government did this, it would still not provide the $28 billion or more Tim Nicholls and his misleading website claim can go towards the repayment of existing debt.
“Today it has been revealed in the Australian Financial Review that investment banks are demanding placements on the boards of the electricity network companies if they are to take on existing debt.
“If this is the Treasurer’s proposal than it will involve a divestment of Energex, Ergon and Powerlink’s existing assets as collateral”.
The Premier said in Parliament in April last year: “So let me be absolutely clear today that we decided to not consider divestment of Energex, Ergon or Powerlink to pay down the debt that was accrued by the former financially inept government and we certainly will not be seeking any mandate to undertake a sale of those assets at the next election.”
In November 2012 the Premier said: “The poles and wires transmission stuff, I believe, should be owned by the people because they are natural monopolies.”
“A divestment of Energex, Ergon and Powerlink with partial control of these companies handed to the private sector is privatisation. To say otherwise is a blatant deception”, Mr Pitt said.
“The Treasurer has long been on the record about his support for selling the poles and the wires and last year endorsed a report calling for a fire-sale of every electricity asset in Queensland.
“The only choice for Queenslanders will be at the next election. The LNP will sell your assets, Labor won’t.”
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