Beach, typical of your anti free speech mantra, wishing to deny me the right to comment on issues, claiming I am doing some Green "stirring" whenever it takes your fantasy. Naturally you feel free to deliver one of your Nationalists Hansonite diatribes, see you own comment on this thread, whenever you feel like doing so on the forum. Unlike you I support free speech and the rights of others to hold an opinion, that is not mine or yours for that matter, opinions of people you would like to shut up. What a poor miserable society it would be if a jackboot like you, or your lovely Pauline were ever to be in command.

Shadow, a bit of standard orthodox conservative thinking on your part.

I agree with AC on this. There are certain core assets that are of national importance which should remain in public ownership. Power generation and distribution, are that kind of strategic asset that we can ill afford to come under private control. Certainly these core assets should never fall into foreign, private or government hands. Would the populace be happy with foreign control of say water supply, or total food production. Should we fully 'privatize' health and education, for some short term financial gain.

The notion of government allowing a 99 year lease of the Port of Darwin to the People's Republic of China, to me is tantamount to lunacy ! To sell our top, primary agricultural land, to them is bad enough, but our most northerly Port, is a monumental strategic error of epic proportions. I suppose one thing is now abundantly clear, Australia and China will never go to war against each other - why should they, they already own us, 'lock, stock 'n barrel' ! What a bloody embarrassment !

Paul1405,

Your imagination and 'creative'(sic) writing are way out of control. The quote was from Bob Carr, Labor. Other Labor State Premiers, for instance, Anna Bligh criticised the feds for using high immigration to boost 'growth' and at the expense of the State and Territory governments who were obliged to shoulder the negative consequences.

To repeat, there has been a failure of both sides of governments to plan for the future that is resulting in the need for State and federal governments to sell assets to plug holes in the Budget.

However, States and Territories do have a defence and Bob Carr should remember it since when he was Premier of NSW and later as a federal government minister he cited it.

It is quite simply that for decades the feds have been running over-ambitious immigration with often new records being set every year and that has continually overstretched the available infrastructure AND the pockets of the over-taxed public. It is also why there is so much restriction of government services and 'user pays' - 'that was previously paid out of available tax revenues.

Both sides of government defend the asset sales they have to have to pay for overspending and lack of planning, saying that Australia cannot afford to properly exploit resources and foreign investment and know-how is necessary. But how does that explain sales of rich farming land and water rights? Particularly where China says outright it will be importing its own workers and providing exclusively for its own market?

While on the subject, it is simply amazing how many ex-politicians, all of whom are supported by the taxpayer, are 'consultants' representing Chinese interests and doing very well indeed out of it.

o sung wu, "..Australia and China will never go to war against each other - why should they, they already own us, 'lock, stock 'n barrel'"

Sadly, countries that have been jealous of the natural assets of another country have commonly used defence and protection of their investments and people in that country as the rationalisation for attack.

With Greens and other looney leftists forever playing the race card and embarrassing Australia internationally, China might like to acquire an even larger base in the Pacific.

Beach, the biggest embarrassment to Australia are the racists comments of One Nation, Pauline Hanson and her supporters, Are you not a Hansonite yourself. from the Deep North.

o sung wu, your comments on the sale of the Port of Darwin are spot on. Although I agree major asset sales/leases are bad, I can only see this particular move by the Turnbull Government as no more than a cynically bad attempt by the little male spider himself to woo the "black widow" in the Senate. She might eat him alive!

I don't like any government, but if the choice is between having our electricity controlled by the Australian government or (directly or indirectly) by the Chinese government, then I don't need to hesitate or even blink - it's certainly the former.

Now to the broader question: "how do you feel about governments selling public assets in the first place?"

I am not comfortable with the fact that an illegitimate and oppressive body such as a government holds the keys to our basic utilities. However:

1. The illegitimacy of governments and the fact that they control the infrastructure for our basic utilities are two different and hardly related matters.

2. For completely different reasons, I am also not comfortable with the fact the our basic utilities are held by commercial companies (even if they are Australian companies).

Under these circumstances, with two major reasons against one, reluctantly I rather have the infrastructure and our basic utilities be in the hands of government. not sold.

Ideally however, either:

1. The state reforms itself, so that participation is voluntary. Once this happens, I will be much more than happy for all major infrastructure and utilities to be in the hands of government.

OR

2. Infrastructure and basic utilities would be in the hands of public, non-profit bodies other than the government. In other words, they belong to all those who want them, but not to the state or its government.