Backed by newfound information that the NSW Government was liable for potential contamination at numerous coal-fired power stations, Abigail successfully moved that further contracts and documents related to costs be made publicly available.
Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: I move:
That private member's business item No. 198 outside the order of precedence be considered in a short form format.
Motion agreed to.
Ms ABIGAIL BOYD (18:01): I seek the leave of the House to amend private member's business item No. 198 outside the order of precedence standing in my name by:
1.omitting "21 days" and instead inserting "28 days";
2.omitting paragraph (a) and inserting a new paragraph (a) as follows: "all baseline contamination studies and post-sale contamination reports referred to in the contracts for sale of the following power stations:
(i)Mount Piper Power Station;
(ii)Bayswater Power Station;
(iii)Liddell Power Station;
(iv)Vales Point Power Station; and
(v)Eraring Power Station;
3.inserting after paragraph (c):
(d)any further documents produced since the execution of the contracts for sale referred to in (a) expressly referencing contamination for which the State may be liable under those contracts.
Leave granted.
Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: Accordingly, I move:
That, under Standing Order 52, there be laid upon the table of the House within 28 days of the date of passing of this resolution the following documents in the possession, custody or control of the Treasurer; NSW Treasury, the Department of Premier and Cabinet, the Minister for Energy and Environment or the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment:
(a)all baseline contamination studies and post-sale contamination reports referred to in the contracts for sale of the following power stations:
(i)Mount Piper Power Station;
(ii)Bayswater Power Station;
(iii)Liddell Power Station;
(iv)Vales Point Power Station; and
(v)Eraring Power Station.
(b)the Additional Baseline Study referred to in the contract for sale of the Vales Point Power Station;
(c)the Stage II ESA Report referred to in the contract for sale of the Eraring Power Station; and
(d)any further documents produced since the execution of the contracts for sale referred to in (a) expressly referencing contamination for which the State may be liable under those contracts.
As this House knows, in June we passed a motion for a call for papers under Standing Order 52 in relation to the sale contracts of both the Eraring and the Vales Point power stations. Those documents revealed something that we had long suspected—that is, that the State has kept liability for the contamination that was existing prior to the sale of those power stations but also that the State retains liability for cleaning up the sites of the other power stations this Government has sold off. The community deserves to know the level of that contamination and how onerous and costly the State's obligations will be when those power stations close. That is why I have moved this motion today.