Category Archives: NSW election 2023

Two arrested as mob sets upon protesters outside Mark Latham event in Sydney

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Rainbow rights group says peaceful protesters were set upon outside a Catholic church in Belfield

A gay and LGBTI rights group says a group attacked peaceful protesters outside a Catholic church in south-west Sydney, where One Nation’s Mark Latham was giving a speech.

Community Action for Rainbow Rights said on Twitter that as they were protesting outside St Michael’s church hall in Belfield, a mob set upon the protesters.

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NSW Labor labelled ‘amateurs’ by Perrottet after analysis shows election policy risks budget blowout

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Chris Minns defends promise to scrap public sector wages cap as party leaders scramble in final week of NSW election campaigning

The New South Wales opposition leader, Chris Minns, has been forced to defend the cost of his signature wages policy after the state’s independent budget analysis agency noted “significant risks” of a blowout.

In a frantic final week of campaigning that has seen Dominic Perrottet set out on a two-day tour through the state’s south, focus has shifted to Labor’s promise to scrap the Coalition’s longstanding public sector wages cap.

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NSW election: Legalise Cannabis eyeing an upper house seat in bid to overturn drug-driving law

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Pollster says it’s a crowded progressive micro-party market, but some high-profile donors are backing the party’s campaign

When Antony Zbik was handed a “life-changing” medical cannabis prescription almost six years ago, he did not realise it would also rob him of his freedom.

While the treatment helped the 38-year-old with crippling pain caused by fibromyalgia, it also forced him to move back home and become reliant on his parents to drive him around.

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Australia news live: Daniel Andrews says ‘Nazis aren’t welcome’ in Victoria after march outside parliament

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Submarines will be kept under Australia’s control, minister says

Richard Marles insists any submarines in Australia’s fleet will be kept under the control and direction of the Australian government.

If there was a point in time in the future where there was a conflict in the world, where there was the prospect of one of these submarines with Australians onboard entering it, that is obviously going to be a matter for the government at the time.

Just on this point – in return for access to these Virginia-class subs, has Australia given the United States any sort of commitment, explicitly, implicitly, that we will be there in the event of a conflict over Taiwan?

The answer to that is of course not. Of course not. And nor was one sought. I’ve listened to that conjecture from a number of commentators. It is plain wrong.

No quid pro quo here over the access to the Virginia-class subs?

Absolutely not. And I couldn’t be more unequivocal than that.

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Timid NSW transport policies show Labor and the Coalition have taken their feet off the accelerator

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No matter who wins the election, the task of tackling clogged roads and Sydney’s tolling mess will be immense

Sydney has been treated to a boom in public transport and road construction over the past decade, but the so far timid transport policies of the New South Wales election raise concerns the foot is coming off the accelerator.

The main policy differences to emerge between the Coalition and Labor surround how each side plans to expand the metro network westwards, Band-Aid solutions to address the cost of commuting through Sydney’s tolling mess and support for a contentious tunnel.

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Chris Minns says documents show Liberals considered privatising parts of Sydney Water

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Labor to start final week of NSW election campaign by continuing pursuit of Perrottet government over its privatisation record

Documents canvassing the possible partial privatisation of a Sydney Water asset were compiled at the request of the New South Wales Treasury department, which the state Labor opposition will rely on to argue that the government was contemplating a broader sell-off of the asset.

Chris Minns will mark the start of the NSW election campaign’s final week on Sunday by continuing his pursuit of the Coalition over its record on privatisation, seeking to use documents compiled by the consultancy firm KPMG to argue that the premier, Dominic Perrottet, directed the public service to investigate a possible sale.

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‘It’s Up to Us’: squeezed by the housing crisis, a NSW rural community finds its own solution

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After raising $350K, a group of Bega electorate residents provided temporary units for locals, but long-term investment is needed to provide more permanent accommodation

About two years ago, Michael Brosnan decided he could no longer wait for the government to act on the housing crisis.

As more and more people were squeezed into homelessness in his community on the far south coast of New South Wales, he and other locals decided to start a fundraiser.

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

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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.

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NSW government considers banning TikTok on all public sector devices

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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