Category Archives: New South Wales politics

Four arrested after climate protesters occupy Dominic Perrottet’s office – as it happened

Posted on by

Six teenagers and a dozen adults occupied NSW premier’s office, protesting approval of new coal and gas projects. This blog is now closed

We’ve got some more information on the news the Albanese government is set to spend $1.3bn buying 220 Tomahawk cruise missiles.

The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, said Australia would be working closely with the US to get more missile capability.

Making sure we have longer-range strike missiles is a really important capability for the country. It enables us to be able to reach out beyond our shores further and that’s ultimately how we are able to keep Australia safe.

The cruise missiles are a critical part of that, as are the submarines that launch them.

Our banking system is really well capitalised. It’s well regulated. We’re well placed in Australia to withstand some of the vulnerability in banking systems.

Whether it’s Silicon Valley banks, and the steps taken by the Americans, or credit Swiss, and the loans provided by the central bank, we’re monitoring it closely.

Continue reading...

Myer to close flagship Brisbane store – as it happened

Posted on by

This blog is now closed.

Turnbull concerned about UK economic situation

Malcolm Turnbull rounded out his concerns there with one shared with Paul Keating – although the language he used was a little more moderated than the former Labor PM is famous for.

The bottom line is their economy is sick. It’s got fundamental, sort of existential problems. And you’ve got to ask yourself, whether Britain is going to be able to sustain investment in its navy and its military in the years ahead, given this huge demand that they’ve got elsewhere, not least the National Health Service.

Continue reading...

Matt Kean exploring a move to federal politics if Coalition loses NSW election, sources say

Posted on by

Figures close to Kean said the Liberal treasurer, a high-profile moderate, has floated the idea

The New South Wales treasurer, Liberal Matt Kean, is said to be considering a move to Canberra if the Perrottet government suffers a defeat on Saturday week in the state election.

Figures close to Kean told the Guardian he has floated the idea and is exploring possible avenues into federal parliament, but his decision would depend on whether the Coalition lost in NSW on 25 March and by what margin, as this would determine how long they would be out of office in NSW.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Mark Latham to push for nuclear plants and ‘parental rights’ if made NSW kingmaker

Posted on by

Exclusive: Labor and Greens concerned One Nation could gain at least one additional seat in 25 March election

Mark Latham will seek to overturn a longstanding ban on nuclear power technologies, strengthen “parental rights” and protect Christians from vilification if One Nation picks up enough seats to make him a kingmaker after the New South Wales election.

The former federal Labor leader is attempting to grow his party’s upper house presence from two to four at the 25 March poll, capitalising on voter disillusionment and a loophole that has allowed him to resign and re-run at the top of the ticket.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

NSW government considers banning TikTok on all public sector devices

Posted on by

Exclusive: State government does not have an overarching policy on the app’s use, but it is understood that is now being reviewed

The New South Wales government is considering banning public sector employees from using TikTok on work devices, engaging federal cybersecurity agencies for advice amid concerns over the social video app’s links to China.

As the federal government considers the security of the app, the NSW electoral commission has confirmed software – including TikTok – is not permitted to be downloaded on to work mobile phones without prior approval.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Fresh train delays in Sydney as expert warns outdated systems are likely to keep failing

Posted on by

Professor predicts further outages as Labor attacks NSW government over $670m maintenance backlog

Sydneysiders have been hit with fresh train delays, and repeated outages due to outdated communications technology and poor backup system planning are likely to continue, a transport expert has warned, as the Perrottet government is accused of neglecting upgrades.

The warning came on Tuesday morning as commuters were told to “allow plenty of extra travel time” due to urgent signalling work at Broadmeadow and train repairs on the north shore line at Waitara that caused delays across the network.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Perrottet’s future fund for children risks increasing poverty divide, social advocates say

Posted on by

Benefit will depend on how much parents can afford to contribute, with wealthier families getting ‘an extra leg up’, critics say

The New South Wales government’s cornerstone election policy, which aims to help the next generation pay for housing and education, has been criticised by social advocates who claim the scheme will further entrench inequality.

The Kids Future Fund would see all children 10 and under handed an account with $400 in it, with the government to match parents’ future contributions of up to $400 every year until the age of 18.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Dominic Perrottet announces ‘future fund’ for NSW children at Liberal election campaign launch

Posted on by

Premier pledges up to $400 annually for children to be used on education or housing once turning 18

Every child under 10 in New South Wales will be set up with an account containing $400 as part of an election promise the premier, Dominic Perrottet, said was the “most significant financial security investment” in the state’s history.

Perrottet announced the government’s $850m “signature election policy” at the Liberal campaign launch in Sydney’s west on Sunday, flanked by dozens of children on stage.

Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads

Continue reading...

Attacks on Hindu temples have ‘no place in Australia’, PM says; Sydney trains hit by delays – as it happened

Posted on by

Burketown flood at ‘record levels’ with helicopter evacuations to continue throughout the day. This blog is now closed

Pandemic marriage laws protected LGBTQI people, advocate says

Marriage laws intended to give couples more flexibility through the Covid-19 pandemic offer LGBTQI people critical protection from discrimination and persecution, an advocate says.

This move to enable a celebrant to witness remotely the signing of a notice of intended marriage needs to be made permanent.

It’s not just for the convenience of anyone. There’s still a lot of queer people in Australia who are not out.

Continue reading...

What will it take to win the 2023 NSW election – and what happens if neither side wins a majority?

Posted on by

Labor needs to pick up nine seats, but if neither major party can get to 47 seats the crossbench will determine the next premier

After three terms in power, the Liberal-National coalition government in New South Wales appears to be on shaky ground, falling behind in the polls and currently operating without a parliamentary majority.

With two weeks to go until the election, there’s still a chance of the Coalition or Labor forming majority or minority government – although a Coalition majority appears least likely.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

‘We are so far behind’: Lynda Edwards says Indigenous voice could spur action on NSW treaty

Posted on by

Comments from NSW premier’s woman of the year come as government minister rules out progress on treaty if re-elected

The New South Wales premier’s woman of the year says the state is “so far behind everyone else” on a treaty with First Nations people, suggesting a federal voice could lead to action despite a declaration by a Coalition minister that it is not on the agenda.

Lynda Edwards received the title on Thursday, when she was also named the NSW Aboriginal woman of the year by Dominic Perrottet for her work advocating for the financial rights of First Nations people and working to reform the financial sector to better serve them.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Liberal candidate in Kiama refuses to rule out preference deal with Gareth Ward

Posted on by

Melanie Gibbons faces awkward exchange with journalists a day after stunning Liberal insiders with preselection

The newly preselected Liberal candidate in Kiama, Melanie Gibbons, has refused to rule out striking a preference deal with the sitting MP Gareth Ward in the forthcoming New South Wales election, saying it is “up to the party”.

Gibbons, who is the outgoing MP in the southern Sydney seat of Holsworthy, endured an awkward exchange with journalists on Thursday after stunning Liberal insiders by lodging an 11th-hour nomination to run in Kiama.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

NSW to grant coalmines licences for water from Sydney and Illawarra drinking catchments

Posted on by

Perrottet government quietly gazetted rules day before caretaker period commenced for election campaign

The Perrottet government has introduced new rules that will grant coalmines licences for water from the drinking catchment for Sydney and the Illawarra region.

The government quietly gazetted the rules a day before the caretaker period commenced for the New South Wales election campaign.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

‘Not good enough’: Perrottet vows to increase number of women preselected for Liberals in lower house

Posted on by

Just a third of candidates are women and NSW premier says he is open to all ideas, including quotas

Women account for just a third of the lower house candidates preselected by the Liberal party ahead of the 25 March state election – putting them behind Labor’s 45%, the Greens’ even split and their own target of 40%.

The premier, Dominic Perrottet, conceded his party was falling short and it was not good enough, saying he wanted half of all candidates pursued at the next election to be women, and insisting he was open to all ideas, including quotas.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Sydney train commuters to get free transport day after rail network outage causes chaos

Posted on by

Cybersecurity attack ruled out as rail shutdown puts pressure on NSW government before state election

The New South Wales premier, Dominic Perrottet, has apologised for a peak-hour meltdown of the Sydney rail network less than three weeks out from the state election.

The shutdown on Wednesday afternoon left tens of thousands of passengers stranded, with Uber fares spiking to hundreds of dollars in surge-price fees.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

NSW Coalition accused of racism and paternalism after pledge to stop controversial development

Posted on by

Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council proposed to build 450 homes at Sydney’s Lizard Rock

The New South Wales Coalition has been accused of racist, paternalistic and politically expedient decision-making after it vowed to spike a proposal to build 450 homes in bushland on Sydney’s northern beaches by its Indigenous proponents.

The Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council’s chief executive, Nathan Moran, said the decision by the government to block its plan for the 71 hectare Lizard Rock site was an attempt to save three seats at risk from teal independents at the 25 March election.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

NSW Labor vows to fix ‘broken’ environmental offsets system if elected

Posted on by

Spokesperson Penny Sharpe says current system has ‘no red lines’ and party will deliver changes within first 18 months of government

New South Wales Labor has promised to fix the state’s “broken” environmental offsets system if it wins government in March, saying current policies are causing decline of endangered ecosystems instead of avoiding more damage.

“I think there’s a role for offsetting but the current system is skewed the wrong way,” the party’s environment spokesperson, Penny Sharpe, said.

Continue reading...

‘Plagued by scandal’: Albanese blasts Perrottet’s government as NSW Labor launches election campaign

Posted on by

Prime minister received hero’s welcome as state opposition pledged $93m to hire 1,000 apprentices and trainees in the public sector

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has launched a scathing attack on the New South Wales premier Dominic Perrottet’s government, saying it is “plagued by scandal” and slamming its “deficit of character”.

Despite a series of public appearances with Perrottet in recent months in which he has been complimentary of the Coalition premier, Albanese used the official launch of the NSW Labor campaign on Sunday to issue a searing broadside on the government three weeks out from the state election.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

NSW government called out on net zero goal as own data projects coal and gas emissions until 2050

Posted on by

Data also shows land sector will absorb more carbon than it emits from 2015 despite passage of laws that make land clearing easier

Labor, the Greens and independent politicians have called on the New South Wales government to explain how emissions projections square with its 2050 net zero goal, after its own data showed pollution from coal and gas extending out to mid-century.

The figures, which are contained within the government’s emissions dashboard, also show the land sector growing as a sink for carbon emissions even after the government loosened land clearing laws allowing farmers to remove more vegetation.

Continue reading...

NSW government slams brakes on high-speed rail plans after spending $100m on studies

Posted on by

Exclusive: Perrottet government backs away from building Sydney-Newcastle fast rail link by itself

The Perrottet government has quietly abandoned its vision to build its own dedicated fast rail line between Sydney and Newcastle despite four years and roughly $100m spent on feasibility studies, abruptly halting work on a final business case just as geotechnical drilling was being planned.

Confidential documents seen by Guardian Australia reveal that the New South Wales transport department now considers further planning and construction of a dedicated fast rail line to Newcastle to be a task for the commonwealth and its yet-to-be-operational High Speed Rail Authority (HSRA) – which will itself re-start feasibility studies when it is formed.

Continue reading...