Premier Morris Iemma's single-minded determination to privatise the state's electricity has received a major boost from the NSW Auditor-General, who yesterday virtually gave the green light to his ambitions.

Peter Achterstraat's report has applied a political blowtorch to the Opposition, which declared it would oppose the sell-off unless the scrutiny was carried out, but which has yet to announce just where it stands on the issue.

With a number of Labor MPs threatening to cross the floor in Parliament, the Premier desperately needs the support of the Opposition.

Like it or not, the privatisation of the NSW power industry now appears a fait accompli.

With our hospitals, schools and trains in desperate need of expensive upgrades, the region's Labor MPs must push hard for a fair slice of the billions of dollars from the sale.

And another thing ...

What an amazing outpouring of concern and grief for the humpback whale calf stranded in Sydney's Pittwater this week. Animals in distress always strike a remarkable chord with human emotions.

It is easy to imagine how much our world could be enriched if the energy and concern lavished on the calf was somehow redirected to each other as we face the challenges of our daily lives.