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There have been blushes in NSW Labor on Tuesday, when chief Chris Minns’ “zero-emissions” marketing campaign bus ran flat – forcing a return to an old school gasoline guzzler.
The much-hyped electrical bus was on the highway from Warragamba Dam in Sydney’s south-west on Tuesday morning with touring media and Labor staffers on board.
Nevertheless it reportedly ran out of cost on the way in which again to Camden for a avenue stroll, prompting an pressing callout for a substitute coach.
Labor’s marketing campaign was quickly again on the highway, with staffers telling Information Corp passengers had been moved to a special bus “simply to be protected” after an “situation with the charging”.
Mr Minns was significantly pleased with the 12.5-metre Australian-made bus firstly of his run for workplace, significantly its “all-electric” standing.
Tuesday’s fizzle gave Premier Dominic Perrottett an opportunity to take a swipe at his election opponent.
“It is no shock that Labor’s bus has damaged down, identical to their funds broke down yesterday,” he mentioned.
It was simply considered one of a number of assaults on financial credentials on Tuesday, because the race in the direction of the NSW election end line neared.
Mr Minns started his morning operating with the social gathering’s frontbenchers within the Liberal-held western Sydney seat of Oatley. Then he steered the electrical marketing campaign bus to the marginal Liberal seat of Wollondilly, the place he attacked the Coalition for failing to fund its plan to boost the Warragamba Dam wall.
“There isn’t a cash allotted for this venture, not a cent,” Mr Minns mentioned from the dam’s viewing deck.
“The venture that prices $three billion to construct.”
He warned extra privatization was on the playing cards if the Coalition was re-elected.
Final 12 months, Mr Perrottet dedicated final 12 months to elevating the wall at Warragamba Dam, saying his authorities would fund the venture with out federal help if crucial.
It mentioned the venture may scale back the variety of properties affected by main flooding from 15,000 to five,000.
Also on Tuesday, Labor also announced it would make further reforms to the rental market, tightening data retention rules for real estate agents, an review of the role of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal in rental disputes, as well as providing an additional $1 million for tenant advocacy services
Mr Perrottet, meanwhile, met firefighters in regional NSW. He began the day in the Southern Tablelands town of Taralga, meeting RFS volunteers as they prepared for a day of hazard reduction burning.
The area lost about 10,000 hectares in the devastating 2019-2020 summer bushfires.
With four days until polling day, Mr Perrottet is trying to shore up the must-win seat of Goulburn, which is held by Local Government Minister Wendy Tuckerman with a 3.1 per cent margin.
He visited the iconic Big Merino and announced $3.2 million to build a horseriding facility in the area for disabled residents.
Mr Perrottet also dropped in on local cafes, where he played barista for a few minutes before getting back to the campaign trail, listening to residents’ concerns about staffing issues.
The day after the Parliamentary Budget Office released its costings for the election policies made by the parties, both sides attacked each other’s economic credentials.
The Coalition is estimated to deliver a $100 million surplus over the next four years, while Labor would add $1.4 billion, according to the budget office.
Mr Perrottet said Labor had a “black hole” in its costings after the PBO questioned the party’s pledge to scrap the government’s 3 per cent wage cap for public sector workers at zero cost to the bottom line.
Mr Minns defended the policy on Tuesday, saying scrapping the cap on wages would put NSW back in line with the rest of the country.
“It’s necessary to sit down and negotiate with our essential workers. I’m talking teachers, police officers, firefighters, paramedics,” he said.
Budget savings and productivity gains would be found during negotiations, and economic guardrails would be in place as the party talked with unions, Mr Minns said.
“We need to do this because under the Coalition, under Mr Perrottet, he’s used the wages cap as a vice,” he said.
“His decision in July 2020 to reduce [wage] increases down to 0 percent has had a devastating impact on essential services.”
Labor said it had calculated $3 billion in savings in its budget that would fund public sector wage increases.
Treasurer Matt Kean also attacked Labor’s policies, saying the PBO analysis revealed Labor would have to cut projects to pay for to negotiate new pay deals with workers.
“Their budget black hole is growing by the day,” he said.
The NSW election is on Saturday.
– with AAP
