Professionals Australia (PA) and the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) is calling for Hydro Tasmania and the State Government to come clean on their plans for over 200 skilled professionals and trades staff in the renewable energy sector after Hydro CEO Stephen Davy admitted that Hydro is investigating handing majority share of the Hydro consulting business to Power China and its subsidiaries.
Hydro Tasmania has stated that it is investigating this option to expand the markets and opportunities for its consulting division, but Unions strongly dispute the need to hand control of the business to a foreign government to achieve these aims, when a partnership or genuine joint venture could provide the same outcomes with Tasmania retaining ownership of this key renewable energy business.
“The fact is, Hydro is not investigating a genuine Joint Venture, it is investigating a sale of Entura. A joint venture is two business parties contributing assets for a finite timeframe, not a handover of control and ownership of the entire Entura division to Power China,” said Luke Crowley, Director of Professionals Australia, Tasmanian Division.
Entura is currently engaged to maintain and build renewable electricity assets around Australia, and it is a key body in the maintenance of the Tasmanian electricity and water infrastructure networks. This would mean that a huge proportion of Hydro Tasmania’s current skill set in Environmental science, Engineering, Project management and other renewable professions and trades would be moved out of Hydro’s hands and into an enterprise majorly owned and controlled by Power China, and the Chinese Government.
Mr Crowley has said “Hydro and the State Government have repeatedly stated that Entura is not being ‘sold’ but we have had to wade through wave after wave of weasel words and deceptive language around this issue. It is irrelevant to Tasmania if the transaction is technically a “sale’, a “trade” or simply a gift of a profitable organisation to a third party. If this goes ahead, Tasmania would ultimately lose control of these world class renewable energy experts.”
Despite ongoing calls from PA and the AMWU, the state government and Hydro have consistently refused to provide any guarantees for the security of employment and work locations for Entura staff.
“If this a genuine opportunity for growth and there is no intention to lay off or relocating roles out of Tasmania, then offering some security of employee would be a zero cost exercise” said John Short, State Secretary of the AMWU. “Hydro and the state government is apparently seeking to dismember a forward thinking part of an iconic business that is at the heart of everything a clever Tasmania purports to be.”
PA and the AMWU have repeatedly stated to Hydro and the state government that they are fully behind any growth opportunities for Entura, including partnerships and genuine joint ventures that would open up new markets. But Hydro and the people of Tasmania can achieve these opportunities without the significant risks associated with losing control and ownership of Entura.
• Rosalie Woodruff: Details on Entura needed now
• Steve in Comments: So, Jeremy Rockliff tells us that the Government is not selling Entura. Excellent, but what are they doing? I remember Mr Rockliff from pulp mill days and if he told me it was a nice day, I’d pack an umbrella.
