The " Poles and Wires " Conundrum !

The people of New South Wales go to the polls next March and one of the major political issues that will be before them for decision is the option of selling the poles and wires that convey electricity to our homes and businesses - which will result is a thirty billion dollar bonanza to fix the road, rail and hospital problems that plague this state.

Snap media polls indicate the idea has 35% approval, 47% disapproval - and 18% still have not made up their mind.   So far, the public has not been given a firm plan on which to base a conclusion and three options are under consideration.   The first is an outright sale of these assets.  The fall back position is to offer them for either a fifty - or a ninety nine year lease.

The sale of poles and wires has been a knotty conundrum that has bedevilled governments of both political persuasions for many years.  The sticking point in some taxpayers minds is that this is an asset wholly owned by the state and it has been paid for out of the taxes of it's citizens for well over a century.  To some, that sounds like "pawning the family silver " !

It is very tempting to think of the improvements to our crumbling road system, need for more rail lines to service ever growing outer Sydney - and barely functioning hospitals that an injection of thirty billion dollars would bring.   The down side is that selling this asset will probably be at the expense of an increase in our electricity bills.

Nobody is going to buy or lease our poles and wires unless they figure they can make a profit out of the deal.  This raises the usual argument that private enterprise achieves outcomes more efficiently - and at much lower cost - than bloated and bumbling government instrumentality's.   That may be so, but these same poles and wires are an absolutely essential cornerstone of the system that makes life and business liveable in this state.   We would want to be sure the successful tenderer was up to the job.

It is also easy to forget that we are talking about the poles and wires system that not only delivers electricity in the major cities, but also does the job in every town, village and farm spread across a vast amount of territory.   It would be counter productive to isolate this sale to city precincts, because the government would need to maintain people and plant to service the rest of the state - a costly duplication.

This sales concept is not limited to New South Wales.   It has been put into practice in other countries - and in some other Australian states and we would do well to have a long, hard look at the outcomes before we make a final decision.   Unfortunately, when such a matter coincides with an election, politics weighs heavily in the manner that content will be presented.   If such a decision is proposed by one side of politics and opposed by the other, then most of the arguments presented for public discussion can be taken with the proverbial " grain of salt " !

Once again, the controversy that has dogged this issue for decades looks destined to go another round !