21 February 2024
Key public assets will be safeguarded from privatisation under a Greens bill that passed Parliament today and will now become law.
The State Assets (Privatisation Restrictions) Bill 2022 introduced by Greens MLC Robert Simms prevents the sale or disposal of key state assets without consideration of the Economic & Finance Committee and approval of both Houses of Parliament. Key assets covered by the bill include the South Australian Water Corporation, SA Pathology, HomeStart Finance, the Motor Accident Commission, the South Australian Forestry Corporation and the Return to Work Corporation. The bill would also require the disclosure of the details of any sale.
The Greens’ bill first passed the Upper House in September 2022 and was progressed through the Lower House today by Treasurer Stephen Mullighan.
“Privatisation has been a disaster for South Australians, resulting in higher prices, job losses and less efficient services. This passage of this bill is a breakthrough in the fight to keep our public services in public hands and will ensure that no State Government can sell off our key public assets without appropriate scrutiny”, said Robert Simms MLC.
“Both the Greens and Labor campaigned strongly against privatisation at the last state election. I welcome the Government’s support for this important reform, and I want to thank Treasurer Stephen Mullighan and the Labor Government for working collaboratively with the Greens to progress the bill through the Parliament.”
“I hope that these new laws will set a precedent for other states across the country to follow,” said Mr Simms.