Dwell
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet and Opposition Chief Chris Minns have locked horns over well being, training, gaming and infrastructure, in a debate forward of subsequent month’s election.
With the newest polls tipping a Labor victory on March 25, the leaders crossed swords on Sydney radio 2GB on Thursday.
The premier pitched for the return of the coalition, saying it had steered the state by way of greater than a decade that included drought, bushfires, the pandemic and floods.
He additionally forged doubt on Labor’s skill to take care of the financial challenges on the horizon.
“I believe Labor would not have the expertise to take care of the problems which might be coming our approach,” Mr Perrottet mentioned.
Mr Minns mentioned 12 years of coalition authorities was sufficient and Labor was prepared for the problem.
“I believe it is time for a change, a recent staff that is not divided,” he mentioned.
Mr Minns challenged the premier over the pressured public well being system, saying one in 10 individuals have been compelled to attend in hospital emergency departments longer than 24 hours.
The premier mentioned the federal government had invested billions of {dollars} in well being that “saved our state extremely robust through the pandemic”, saying NSW had the strongest public well being system within the nation.
“There are challenges proper throughout the nation in relation to well being care, however that should not be politicised,” he mentioned.
Mr Minns insisted the premier had not been listening to public sector employees, saying the scarcity of well being workers and lecturers would solely worsen due to the federal government’s three per cent cap on public sector wages.
“Seventy p.c of public sector employees in NSW want to transfer to different jurisdictions,” he mentioned.
“The premier’s determination to place a wage freeze in place months earlier than an explosion in inflation devastated elements of the NSW front-line public providers.”
Nevertheless, Mr Perrottet says the wages cap is truthful and affordable “as a result of in the event you do not management expense development within the funds you may’t spend money on front-line providers”.
He additionally defended the privatization of state belongings to pay for $178 billion price of infrastructure, saying initiatives such because the WestConnex tollway wouldn’t have been constructed with out it.
Mr Perrottet mentioned it was inconceivable to construct main infrastructure initiatives whereas scrapping the general public sector wages cap, accusing Mr Minns of desirous to run the funds “like a college tuckshop”.
The premier rejected Mr Minns’ response that infrastructure initiatives may have been funded by dividends from state-owned companies.
“You may’t construct these initiatives on dividends,” he mentioned.
Nevertheless, the premier insisted he had “no plans” to denationalise different authorities belongings.
Mr Minns mentioned privatization had “gone too far”, with household budgets stretched to the restrict paying extreme tolls to a non-public firm.
“We have now obtained a 100 per cent privately owned toll highway monopoly in probably the most tolled metropolis on the face of the earth,” he mentioned.
Mr Perrottet additionally attacked Labor’s method to gaming reform, saying its refusal to endorse the federal government’s dedication to cashless gaming inside 5 years was “only a weak response”.
Mr Minns mentioned Labor’s plan to implement a cashless pokies trial on 500 machines was sound.
“I do not wish to see a state of affairs the place, regardless of the most effective intentions in relation to reform, we actually exacerbate playing in NSW,” he mentioned.
– AAP
