Comments on: Iemma tries to crash through electricity privatisation

By: David Sanderson

David Sanderson — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Thank God there is no Tom McLoughlin#4.

By: Tom McLoughlin#3

Tom McLoughlin#3 — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

SMH 23 Jan 2006 in “Like a bull in a China shop” ….”Macquarie Bank’s executive director, Warwick Smith, a former federal government minister and former chairman of the Australia China Business Council, says the key to success is “start early and be patient” …// “Their system is a top-down system. There are 60 million members of the Communist Party. The chairman of the party in Beijing is more important than the mayor of Beijing … So the party has a prominent position in their structure,” says Smith.//
The former NSW premier Bob Carr has joined the [Macquarie] bank as a consultant and will focus on China. [Warwick] Smith [of Macquarie Bank, ex federal Liberal MP, 2020 Summit Rudd appointee] concedes that being seen to hold domestic political clout has helped Macquarie open Chinese doors.//
“It has worked to our advantage, so people in China can better understand what various skills we bring to a problem,” he says.

By: Tom McLoughlin#2

Tom McLoughlin#2 — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

On Oct 24, 2007 Dr John Kaye MP (Greens) said in a media release (online): “In NSW parliament question time yesterday I asked the Treasurer if he had attended a meeting where privatisation of NSW’s electricity assets was discussed with a company owned by the government of the Peoples Republic of China.
“Three times the Treasurer refused to rule out having had such meetings.//
“Again in his media release this morning, he failed to deny the suggestion that the NSW government has begun power privatisation discussions with a company owned by the Chinese government.//
“All he needs to say is ‘no’ and the matter would come to an end.”

By: Tom McLoughlin

Tom McLoughlin — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

John Garnaut article in Farifax press (get this editorial contrast - Age headline “NSW power play stirs up a giant of global warming”, SMH headline “More to gain and less to fear from China power giant “) last Monday pointed out: “Sooner or later some anti-privatisation activist will start doing background checks on China Huaneng Group, which is at the front of the queue to bid for $15 billion in NSW’s power assets. They’ll see that Sydney might soon be powered by the world’s biggest corporate contributor to global warming.” Now the Bob Carr/MacBank lobbying trips to China, and Beijing Austchina Technology sponsored trips for politicians are all becoming clearer. Iemma flew out of Sydney today for … China.