The privatisation of Australian electricity: Claims, myths and facts

Lynne Chester

The Economic and Labour Relations Review, 2015, vol. 26, issue 2, 218-240

Abstract: Australia has one of the most ‘liberalised’ electricity sectors in the world. The sale of government-owned electricity companies has contributed to that liberalisation and a quarter of the proceeds of one of the world’s largest privatisation programmes. In 2014, the state governments of New South Wales and Queensland announced further electricity privatisations if re-elected. Advocates claim private ownership will mean more productive investment, lower costs leading to more efficient operations, lower prices for all consumers and better market functioning without government interference. Opponents contend that the true value of government businesses is not being realised at sale, retention can achieve returns greater than those from a sale, and that follow sale, prices will rise and jobs will be lost. This article demonstrates that the claims of either lower or higher prices, of job losses and of more efficient operations are tantamount to being myths of privatisation not borne out by reality.

Keywords: Australia; electricity; privatisation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L33 L50 L94 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:ecolab:v:26:y:2015:i:2:p:218-240

DOI: 10.1177/1035304615574973

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