Whiteboard linked to privatisation plan

Managers at Ergon energy have been accused of plotting for privatisation despite the state government having not yet secured a mandate to proceed with its asset leasing plan.

The Electrical Trades Union published photographs on Facebook on Monday showing notes scrawled on several whiteboards at Ergon's Banyo site, in Brisbane's north, which it claims detail a "complex strategy to deal with its privatisation".

"Well look what we found at Ergon Buchanan Road Banyo! Thought we were waiting for a mandate??" the union's post read.

"The particulars on the whiteboards include scenarios for dealing with overseas owners, outsourcing, leasing, labour hire and business strategies," state secretary Peter Simpson said.

"They were quite specific in naming (SP) Ausnet as a potential lessee."

The Queensland government plans to pay down $80 billion of state debt thought the long-term lease of a suite of public assets, including power transmission and distribution companies Ergon, Energex and Powerlink.

But the plan will not proceed unless it wins the 2015 state election, due by June.

In a written response to the ETU, Ergon rejected the union's suggestion that it had been prematurely planning.

"The whiteboard notes were made during a Commercial Enterprise's Management business planning workshop," Ergon's Mal Leech wrote.

"A range of potential scenarios and future events impacting on the Commercial Enterprise business were discussed and noted during the workshop, including (amongst a range of other matters) the potential leasing announced by the government."

The notes reflected "no more than expected and appropriate planning by prudent management", Mr Leech said.

The company demanded the union confirm it had destroyed copies of the `unlawful' photographs by 5pm on Wednesday, saying they had been taken by union representatives at an unrelated meeting.

AAP has sought comment from the state government, Ergon and Ausnet.