1. Forced council amalgamations
The policy has proved deeply unpopular, particularly in the bush, and cost the New South Wales government dearly at the Orange byelection in November, when the Nationals lost a once-safe seat. The Nationals leader, John Barilaro, has already fired a shot across the bow of the incoming premier, vowing to stop mergers in the bush and saying his party will “no longer be taken for granted”. Gladys Berejiklian has said she “appreciates what sections of the community are saying to us” on council amalgamations. The incoming premier met Barilaro on Sunday and signalled she would do so again on Monday afternoon. But any policy reversal would pose difficult questions about would happen to councils that have already been merged, and to those that are fighting amalgamation in court. The Save Our Councils Coalition has vowed to fight the Liberals in the Manly byelection triggered by Mike Baird’s departure, and rallied outside NSW parliament on Friday. The opposition leader, Luke Foley, is already putting pressure on Berejiklian over the mergers, demanding she sack the local government minister, Paul Toole. from the cabinet.
2. WestConnex and light rail
The incoming premier is a supporter of Sydney’s biggest road project, Westconnex. She helped approve it as transport minister in 2011, and has mounted a strong defence of planning processes underpinning it. But the chorus of opposition to WestConnex is growing and the voices of the displaced are only likely to grow louder as construction continues. Berejiklian will also face pressure over the central business district and south-east light rail project, having taken responsibility for its $500m cost blowout. The NSW audit office last month found the cost, which rose from $1.6bn to $2.1bn, occurred because of mispricing and omissions in the business case. Two years ago Berejiklian said the cost increase was the result of a change of scope in the contract. Questions about the project were already being raised at her first press conference. “I want to make clear that the $2.1bn project is much better than what the community would have got for $1.6bn,” she said. “Can I make it very, very clear that what the public is getting is much better than what we thought we were giving the public.”
3. Lockout laws
Baird’s changes to controversial lockout laws late last year did little to address the anger of Sydney’s younger voters and the Keep Sydney Open camp. Berejiklian will need to find a way to balance their concerns with those of people campaigning against alcohol-fuelled violence, something Baird tried to accomplish by his slight softening of the laws in December. Berejiklian does not appear to want to weaken the laws any further, saying on Monday: “I’m in a comfortable place with where we’re at at the moment.” Her position is only likely to fuel Keep Sydney Open’s opposition. A planned rally in Kings Cross on Saturday was expected to attract up to 7,000 people but did not go ahead after a supreme court injunction. The group is planning another rally in mid-February and has pledged to keep lockout laws on the agenda for the incoming premier.
4. The talkback king
Rightly or wrongly, there is a belief that Alan Jones wields significant influence over NSW politics. That is not good news for Berejiklian. Jones launched a scathing attack on her on Friday, suggesting she had been installed by factions. He described her installation as premier as a “stitch-up” and highlighted her links with the Liberal powerbroker Michael Photios. It was a line eagerly adopted by Labor on Friday. Berejiklian shrugged off the attack, saying it would be “miraculous if everybody supported the same person”. She appears to have found an ally in Jones’s colleague Ray Hadley, who on Monday described Berejiklian as the best candidate for premier. But a Jones campaign could damage her.
5. The reshuffle
An early challenge for Berejiklian will be the looming cabinet reshuffle. She has given herself about a week to make her decisions, and will need to refresh the team and deal with underperforming ministers. Liberal deputy Dominic Perrottet will be treasurer, despite reports that Barilaro wanted the role. The health minister, Jillian Skinner, is under considerable pressure, and is the target of a Labor campaign. Skinner was heavily criticised after the gassing of babies at Bankstown hospital and the chemotherapy dosing scandal at St Vincent’s hospital. Berejiklian declined to speculate about the minister’s future on Monday, simply saying she would “put the best team forward” for the state. The future of education minister, Adrian Piccoli, will also present a challenge. Piccoli, a champion of Gonski and outspoken critic of federal cuts, is popular in the education sector but is reportedly in danger of losing the role, despite Berejiklian’s passionate support for public education at her first media conference as Liberal leader. She paid tribute to the public school teachers who, she said, had seen something in her and encouraged it. “That is why you will have in me the strongest supporter of Gonski. I know what a public education can do for somebody. If I didn’t have access to that education, I wouldn’t be standing before you here today.”
6. Housing affordability
At Monday’s media conference, Berejiklian described housing affordability as a “huge priority” for her government. “I want to make sure that every average hard-working person in this state can aspire to own their own home,” she said. But achieving any real progress in housing affordability, particularly in Sydney, seems a tall order. Berejiklian has pointed to measures already improving supply, and changes to planning and local government laws. She signalled on Monday that she would be outlining new initiatives in the “near future”.
