Peter Andren (Calare, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That so much of standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the Member for Calare from moving that this House:

1.

notes the growing public outrage at the majority decision of this parliament on March 30th to dispose of the Commonwealth shareholding in Snowy Hydro;

2.

notes legal advice suggesting the parliamentary motion to sell Snowy Hydro is constitutionally inadequate in the absence of specific legislation passed by parliament;

3.

recognises that the Murray Darling Association is gravely concerned that there are no guarantees that licensed irrigators will be protected in the future and that power generation will take precedence over water supplies;

4.

notes proposals to cap shareholdings by any one group either temporarily or permanently cannot be protected in legislation from future change;

5.

notes the remaining 72 years of existing licence agreement conditions will not be included in any sale agreement;

6.

notes in its February 2005 submission to the National Competition Council relating to the application of Lakes R Us to undertake water storage and release services, Snowy Hydro stated: “To allow the release of water to be subject to the arbitrary decisions of private individuals would be contrary to the public interest of protecting the environment”;

7.

notes the crucial role the Snowy Scheme plays in alternative energy, environmental management and water supply strategies that don’t necessarily coincide with the exploitation of these resources for private gain; and

8.

appalled that this motion and debate is about to be gagged, calls on the Australian Government to give notice it will rescind the March 30 motion approving the sale of its Snowy Hydro shareholding in the public interest and use its corporations powers under s5 l (xx) of the Constitution to prevent the sale of any shares in Snowy Hydro Pty Ltd pending a full and independently chaired public inquiry to be conducted into the actual capital requirements of Snowy Hydro, the 46 operational agreements between the three current shareholders and the impact of the proposed sale on all relevant parties.

This is the sale of stolen goods.

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