11. Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE (Labour—Waimakariri) Link to this
to the Minister for State Owned Enterprises
Does he agree with NZX Chief Executive Mark Weldon that State-owned enterprises should act as if they face part-privatisation in 2 to 5 years?
Hon SIMON POWER (Minister for State Owned Enterprises) Link to this
No. This Government campaigned on a policy of not privatising State assets this term. If the member wants to accuse the Government of preparing State-owned enterprises for sale, he should cast his mind back to 1 April 1987, when Labour corporatised nine State agencies in a single day. That was when the “fresh face of Labour”, the Hon Phil Goff, was in Cabinet, and Miami Vice was on TV.
Hon Clayton Cosgrove Link to this
Does the Minister really expect New Zealanders to believe that such comments from Mark Weldon, the Minister’s own demands on State-owned enterprises to increase profits, Treasury’s call for privatisation, the Prime Minister’s admission that privatisation may well be on the agenda after the election, and the appointment of Don Brash to head a productivity task force are all a coincidence, or does the Minister agree that New Zealanders are smart enough to know that if it looks like privatisation, sounds like privatisation, and smells like privatisation, then it probably is privatisation?
In answer to the first question, yes, because public ownership is not a reason to accept poor financial performance from our State-owned enterprises.
Hon Clayton Cosgrove Link to this
Will the Minister now categorically deny that State-owned enterprises like Meridian Energy are being prepared for privatisation should the National Party was to win a second term?
Firstly, no State-owned enterprise is being prepared for privatisation. Secondly, I am surprised the member is so quick to concede the next election.
Hon Clayton Cosgrove Link to this
Has he or any other shareholding Minister written to Crown research institutes or State-owned enterprises to ask them to explain why their functions could not be better performed by the private sector, and to detail areas that could be contracted to the private sector?