Keep Our Rail In Public Hands

With news surfacing that the NSW Government is considering privatising Sydney Trains, today Abigail rose to demand that the government honour it's pre-election promise to not sell-off public rail infrastructure.

Ms ABIGAIL BOYD (12:27:32): My question without notice is directed to the Minister for the Public Service and Employee Relations, Aboriginal Affairs, and the Arts, representing the Minister for Transport and Roads. Last week it was reported that the New South Wales Treasurer has an appetite to further privatise the essential public services that our community relies on, with specific mention in the report to our State's rail assets in the upcoming budget. That is despite previously ruling out the selling off of our rail services and strong community sentiment to keep our trains publicly owned. Will the Government recommit to its promise to not sell off our trains and keep rail infrastructure in public hands?

The Hon. DON HARWIN (Special Minister of State, and Minister for the Public Service and Employee Relations, Aboriginal Affairs, and the Arts) (12:28:10): A specific answer to that question will need to be sought from the Minister for Transport and Roads. While I make absolutely no comment about what the Government is or is not doing on rail assets—our policy appropriately should be left to the Minister—I have to say more generally that the Government's decision to recycle its assets and sell some but buy a lot more has been incredibly positive for the State.

We do not resile from our view that it is a good piece of public policy. It has led to better outcomes and more modern infrastructure—not just roads and hospitals but also cultural infrastructure. There is absolutely no doubt the $2 billion worth of spending on cultural infrastructure would not have been possible without the recycling of assets. In my view, it is one of many things that we did in our term in government that we can look back on as an incredibly positive thing for the people of New South Wales. That is why we have more, better and newer hospitals right around the State. That is why we have opened new classrooms and not shut them. This is a good thing and ought to be celebrated.

Ms ABIGAIL BOYD (12:30:23): I ask a supplementary question. Will the honourable member elucidate whether the response just given in relation to the supposed benefits of privatisation means that the Government will not commit to not selling off our rail assets?

The Hon. DON HARWIN (Special Minister of State, and Minister for the Public Service and Employee Relations, Aboriginal Affairs, and the Arts) (12:30:47): No, I was quite clear in my answer. I will refer that to the Minister for Transport and Roads and obtain his answer. I think that is the appropriate thing to do.

TAX SUPERPROFITS TO PAY WORKERS MORE

NSW is missing out on tens of billions of dollars. By introducing a progressive coal royalty structure similar to the one in Queensland, we would have raised an extra $20 billion last year.

The NSW Government owns and controls, on behalf of the people of this state, the rights to the minerals and materials that naturally occur in NSW land.

Huge fossil fuel companies are only able to extract and sell these commodities with the consent of the State. It’s time they paid a fair price for that privilege.

The fossil fuel industry has made hundreds of billions of dollars out of their cosy relationship with governments. Granted permission to extract and sell coal, these large multinational fossil fuel corporations pay just over 7% in royalties back to the people of NSW – keeping the rest as mega-profits for themselves. These companies have a track record of taking more than their fair share and leaving communities suffering and stranded with poisoned groundwater, devastated landscapes and a stranded workforce when it suits their business models.

Globally, the hyper-inflation of fossil fuel prices driven by price-gouging opportunism and war profiteering from Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has delivered record windfall profits to these already obscenely wealthy corporations. In the last year, NSW coal exports totaled over $70 billion dollars, but the people of NSW will only see about 7 cents in every dollar, or about $6 billion dollars of that amount.

Rather than going toward schools, hospitals and public infrastructure, billions of dollars went into the pockets of multinational mining corporations. The Greens believe there should be more money for schools and hospitals and less for mining billionaires.

Sign our petition calling on the NSW Labor Government to increase coal royalties to invest in communities.

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Keep Our Rail In Public Hands

TAX SUPERPROFITS TO PAY WORKERS MORE

Sign our petition calling on the NSW Labor Government to increase coal royalties to invest in communities.

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