Sunday, May 21, 2006

Save the Snowy Hydro

MB is extremely concerned and really quite appalled at the sell off of the Snowy Hydro, with water rights for 72 yrs being handed over to the new owners. The sell-off was announced in January this year and there has been hardly a stir in the media and barely any significant public debate.

This isn't just an electricity company, it controls & owns vast amounts of water. How can the driest continent on earth hand over such a water rich asset to private investors? These water rights really are totally priceless and will be an absolute bargain for the buyers no matter what the Governments sells them for.

The Snowy Hydro may be located in southern NSW and Northern Victoria however all Australians have stake in the Hydro, it supplies electricity to Australia-wide grid and I'm sure once the Snowy is privatised, the cost of that power will increase and we will all feel it next time we get our electricity bill.

The Snowy River has only just started being rehabilitated, with water flows being gradually increased from 1% in 2002. Will the Snowy River continue to be rehabilitated after the NSW, Victorian and Commonwealth Governments sell off the Snowy Hydro?

There are three major issues here: Water, Conservation and Electricity, can we trust the Snowy Hydro Chairman, (who is also chairman of the Sydney Futures Exhange*) to think in the best interests of all Australians rather than in the best interests of private investors seeking quick profits?

Honestly it's like selling your mother to white slavers. Water is such a fundamental issue and control of our water should not be handed over to any minority group be it a business or otherwise. *
http://www.iancohen.org.au/mediarelease.aspx?id=144

Online Petitions: http://site.savesnowyhydro.com/ and

2 comments:

blues buffett said...

Looks like our Fearless Leader listened to you and just about everyone else.

A pity we couldn't privatise him

MB said...

Hmmm not a bad idea.....