SALE OF BELL BAY BREAKS LABOR’S ‘HANDS OFF HYDRO’ PROMISE

energy

Will Transend or Aurora Go the Same Way?


The Tasmanian Greens today described the passing of provisions in the State Parliament to allow the sale of Bell Bay power station by the Lennon Labor government as the death-knell for Labor’s “Hands off the Hydro” election promise.
Greens Shadow Energy spokesperson Kim Booth MHA said that this sale makes it all the more important for the government to come clean with the Tasmanian people about the fate of Aurora Tasmania and Transend, and whether they are intending to sell either or both entity on the grounds of funding the new Hobart Hospital.
The Greens were the only Party in the Parliament to vote against the sale of Bell Bay, whereas both Labor and the Liberal Party voted for the sale.
“Today we saw for a fact that the Lennon Labor government has abandoned their ‘Hands off the Hydro’ election promise with the passage of a motion to sell the Bell Bay power station,” Mr Booth said.
“The Greens have consistently been the only Party to maintain its policy position to keep Bell Bay as part of the Hydro’s power generation assets.”
“The government must now come clean and tell the Tasmanian people what fate it has in mind for Aurora and Transend. Are they going to go the same way as Bell Bay?”
“For too long now the government has played its coy ‘neither confirm nor deny’ strategy when queried over flagged proposals to sell either entity purportedly to help fund the new Hobart Hospital.”
“Now that it is evident that Labor has abandoned its “Hands of the Hydro” promise, it is only fair for the government to now detail to the public what it plans to do with Tasmanian’s energy assets,” Mr Booth said.