I’m quoted in a Brisbane Times article today regarding asset sales:
Asset sales divide economists – but they are united in saying ‘Strong Choices’ is flawed
I re-iterated the same points I’ve made over the last couple of weeks: that asset sales are probably desirable, but Strong Choices is unconvincing and the Government urgently needs better advisers to help it make the case for asset sales (see Strong Choices poorly received by public). Here are the relevant quotes from the article:
“They could have used the $6 million much more wisely and spent it on decent research, decent studies, what these privatisation proposals could mean, thinking about how do we communicate this to the public,” Mr Tunny said.
“And that is not through PR and it is not through a flashy website, it is through well crafted speeches delivered to the public, well written opinion pieces, a genuine information campaign rather than a PR campaign.”
….“People are worried about the assets being sold too cheaply, the community being ripped off, some people are worried about foreign ownership, there are a whole lot of reasons people in the community are worried about asset sales,” he said.
“Strong Choices is very simplistic and doesn’t go anywhere near addressing what people’s concerns are.”
Queensland Economy Watch 
Hear ! Hear !
I have become increasingly convinced that we can no longer rely on any government to provide factual and correct information … we can only ever expect dubious and agenda driven spin, spin , spin. Which is why we rely on commentators such as your good self to do the hard-work and research.
Further to asset sales, I am beginning to reconcile myself to the notion that the only State and Commonwealth assets Australians will own in the future are the decrepit Indonesian boats purchased under the immigration scheme and the pollution the Commonwealth government will buying-back under the direct action carbon policies, and the unstable mining tailings abandoned and left behind from the uncontrolled mining boom.
Haha, thanks for your comment and ongoing support, Katrina.