Liberals finally speak up

The NSW Opposition has said that it would give conditional support for the electricity privatisation plan, provided that all the arrangements of the sale are overseen by the Auditor- General and that an independent organisation was established to watch the use of funds from the sale. The Coalition have set out a further three conditions the government must meet before their support will be given, and they have rejected the current plan, citing its lack of detail. The NSW Coalition has come under increasing criticism over the past week from the media and the government for refusing to state their position on the electricity privatisation plan. Previously Barry O’Farrell adopted a “wait and see” approach, demanding more details of the plan before making a statement.
Since O'Farrell became leader of the Opposition in NSW, they seem to have adapted a position of silence when it comes to government. This may be advantageous when the public is watching the government destroy itself, but when the government is doing something controversial, the Opposition needs to make itself heard. Otherwise a position of silence will turn into a position of invisibility. People are wary of what they cannot see.