NSW: Howard says NSW oppn wrong to stay silent over power

AAP General News (Australia)
04-14-1999
NSW: Howard says NSW oppn wrong to stay silent over power

SYDNEY, April 14 AAP - Prime Minister John Howard today criticised the New South Wales
coalition for not promoting power privatisation adequately in its failed election campaign.

While continuing his criticisms of his state colleagues, Mr Howard described NSW Premier
Bob Carr as the most successful Labor leader in Australia.

Contradicting NSW opposition leader Kerry Chikarovski's claim she had campaigned heavily on
the contentious issue of power privatisation, he said the coalition had mistakenly stopped
promoting the issue mid-campaign.

He also contradicted the assertion of National Party leader George Souris that NSW voters
were against power privatisation, saying he had won two elections espousing the privatisation
of Telstra.

The NSW coalition campaigned on a platform of selling the $25 billion industry and giving
electricity account holders $1,000 cash in return in its failed bid to win power on March 27.

The policy was all but absent from the coalition's advertising campaign.

"It came rather late in the piece and they seemed to stop talking about it, which was an
error," Mr Howard told ABC radio.

"There's a chicken and egg - if you stop talking about something you'll never get public
support for it."

He said he did not believe privatisation was the reason the Liberal Party lost the state
election.

Seats in the Hunter Valley, the home of the power industry, and the nearby central coast
would have been more heavily affected if privatisation was the issue, he said.

He repeated his belief the NSW coalition did not do enough policy work during its last four
years in opposition.

"You can't win elections unless you present an identifiable alternative," he said.

He later described Mr Carr as the most successful Labor leader in Australia while arguing
Labor senators should support the federal government's tax package.

"Surely the Labor Party senators from NSW should take notice of what Bob Carr has said," Mr
Howard said.

"Bob Carr is the most successful Labor leader in Australia at present by far and he's
saying the GST is good for the people of NSW."

A spokeswoman for Mr Carr said the Premier did not support the GST but recognised it was
necessary to negotiate funding arrangements with the federal government.

AAP cm/tsm/bm

KEYWORD: POWER HOWARD

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