MATTERS OF URGENCY
Senator ALLMAN-PAYNE (Queensland) (17:09): Australians are paying the price of privatisation. We're paying the price in aged care, in the NDIS, in employment services, in health care, in our electricity, in our telecommunications and even in our travel. Across every possible industry, privatisation is slamming Australians with price increase after price increase.
Right now, private corporations are scheming in their boardrooms to invent new costs to levy on us. We've just seen this with Jetstar charging people to put their bag in an overhead locker on the plane. This is supposed to be our budget airline.
That is not to mention that Jetstar is owned by Qantas, which used to be publicly owned before a Labor government sold it. Likewise, in Queensland, we're told to go on to the Energy Made Easy website to swim through the hundreds of private retailers and their various deals. We select one knowing that, no matter who we go with, whether it's origin or AGL or Alinta or any other, we'll just get hit with another price increase in 12 months anyway.
That's a direct result of the privatisation of Queensland's electricity retail, again, brought to you by a Labor government. Why is the onus on Australians to shop around? Why is there no onus on private corporations to stop price gouging us?
Why is there no genuine public alternative for Australians who are sick of being taken for a ride? What else will private corporations start charging for that used to be free? What other public service can they swindle out of Labor to now start delivering for profit at exorbitant rates?
Electricity is an essential service, especially in Queensland and in the other parts of northern Australia. When summer comes, it is becoming more and more life threatening to go without adequate cooling in your home. Summers are getting warmer, and our bills are going up, much to the delight of the profits of private electricity retailers.
The Greens want to put an end to the rort of privatisation in this country. We believe that essential services should be run as a public good and not by for-profit corporations who donate to everyone in here.