Webdiary - Founded and Inspired by Margo Kingston

NSW's record seems to confirm that privatisation is, indeed, just old-fashioned plunder as practised by the Conquistadores, Vikings, Mongols, etc. Revenue generating assets paid for over previous decades by taxpayers have apparently been sold off for no better reason than to line the pockets of private investors, bankers and stockbrokers.

Analysis of the reporting of electricity privatisation initiatives in New South Wales brings disturbing confirmation that the major Australian newsmedia does not accurately report essential facts on issues of vital concern to us. Indeed, it often acts as a conduit for propaganda against our best interest.

NSW Premier Iemma has seized upon a limited and deficient Auditor-General's report as grounds to proceed with electricity privatisation, planning to rush through the legislation in a special sitting this week. The sale has been consistently opposed by the NSW public and unions...

Australians, finally able to rejoice at the demise of the hated federal Government of John Howard, can count themselves lucky that the Queensland Labor Government's undemocratic local government amalgamations program enacted at the behest of the Property Council of Australia did not fatally undermine Federal Labor's election campaign in Queensland.

The same opinion polls which predict that John Howard will lose the election on 24 November also consistently show that Australians still perceive his Government to be competent at handling Australia's defence, or at least more capable than the Labor Opposition. How valid is that perception?

What Latham fails to point out is that if the Australian people fail on 24 November to take advantage of the opportunity before them to throw from office the worst Government by far that this country has had since federation, then a very dangerous precedent will have been set. In covering up this basic reality, Latham is, himself, undermining the very democracy he claims he wants to see rejuvenated.