Privatisation has been a bipartisan sport in South Australian politics for far too long. From selling off the state’s public housing and power network, to handing over the keys to our buses and trains, this decades-long fire sale has short-changed the people of South Australia who are often left with poorer services at higher prices.
In 2021 the Greens secured a parliamentary inquiry into this endless privatisation. The inquiry shone a light on the damning effect privatisation has had on our public services and made a range of recommendations for the future that would improve the accountability of private corporations running public services and safeguard against the sell offs our public services without due consideration of the impact. Importantly, it recommended that a moratorium be placed on all future privatisations – until the recommendations in the report are actioned.
To download a copy of the full majority report click here
I introduced a bill to prevent the privatisation of public assets without the consideration of a parliamentary committee, all the details of the sale have been put on the public record, and approval of both Houses of Parliament. Key assets covered by the bill included the South Australian Water Corporation, SA Pathology, HomeStart Finance, the Motor Accident Commission, the South Australian Forestry Corporation and the Return to Work Corporation. You can watch my speech in Parliament on the bill here.
In February 2024, the bill passed both Houses of Parliament and became law. This is a huge huge win for the campaign to keep public services in public hands, creating a important safeguard against any future State Government selling off our key public assets.
