NSW: 64% oppose Power Sell-Off

As thousands of community and union demonstrators protested outside NSW State Parliament against the electricity sell-off the latest AC Nielsen poll out today shows that two-thirds of the state are opposed Premier Iemma's plans to privatise the power industry.

"Arrogant out of touch Government"

Unions NSW Secretary John Robertson slammed Premier Morris Iemma for "ignoring working families'' and said the campaign against the sell-off had only just begun.

Referring to the Your Rights At Work campaign last year, he said it was "disturbing that we are here once again protesting against a government that refuses to listen to the people''.

He said the union movement would attack the Iemma Government with the same ferocity as that directed towards John Howard's Government last year.

"This government has lost touch and become arrogant,'' he said.

He called on Labor MPs in the caucus meeting taking place at the same time as the protest to stand up to their leaders and oppose the sale.

"It's not too late. It's not too late to stand up and say `We got it wrong'''.

"There are many Labor MPs aside from those who stood up here today who are very nervous about what this government is doing and so they should be.''

The protesters were joined by a number of State Labor MPs, including union stalwart and Blacktown MP Paul Gibson.

Ninety ALP branches have passed motions in opposition to the sell-off.

Bad time to sell warns economist

Melbourne economist Dr. Nicholas Gruen says he is not against the idea of privatisation but he does not agree with some of the arguments being proffered in support.

"What we're hearing is that we should sell these assets because we need to keep our debt low to maintain a triple-A rating," he said.

"Our view would be - and people, for instance the former auditor-general of NSW, have the view that you do not need to sell the assets to keep the triple-A rating."

He says it is a bad time to be selling the Government's electricity assets.

"That's for at least two reasons," he said.

"One of them is the state of the capital markets at the moment. They've got no appetite for risk, so that will drive down the price.

"The second is the very high level of uncertainty since the release of the Garnaut report. That's not going to settle down any time soon."

Iemma losing support

According to today's Nielson Poll Mr Iemma's approval rating has plummeted 18 per cent down to 34 per cent since the March election.

Mr Iemma recorded a disapproval rating of 44 per cent in the poll, up 11 per cent since the state election.

The poll was taken before claims were aired at the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) inquiry into the behaviour of Wollongong Council staff and developers, some of whom have been linked to State Government ministers.