Economic Leadership

Hansard ID: HANSARD-1323879322-103454

Hansard session: Fifty-Sixth Parliament, First Session (56-1)

Economic Leadership

Mr MARK COURE (Oatley) (14:52:36):

My question is addressed to the Treasurer, and Minister for Industrial Relations. How has the New South Wales Government shown economic leadership on delivering for the people of New South Wales? Is the Treasurer aware of any alternatives?

The SPEAKER:

Order! I will not be able to hear the Treasurer with that level of interjection. The member for Rockdale will come to order.

Mr DOMINIC PERROTTET (HawkesburyTreasurer, and Minister for Industrial Relations) (14:52:59):

— I thank the great member for Oatley for his question. Someone sent me a tile, which concerns the member for Oatley, which shows the member for Maroubra, the wannabee Leader of the Opposition, campaigning outside a train station at Oatley. It says, "The awkward moment when you realise you are campaigning outside the local train station that Labor failed to upgrade for 16 years." An objective tile authorised by Mark Coure, Post Office Box 467, Hurstville. Well done. A train station upgraded by us, wrecked by Labor for 16 years, but that does not stop them from campaigning. He has asked me a question about economic leadership. We know that when it comes to leadership the Berejiklian-Barilaro Government is second to none. We have made the tough decisions to fix the budget in order to kickstart the economy, and the State is once again moving. The people of New South Wales are now reaping the rewards of a budget in surplus, a booming economy, and more schools and hospitals are under construction than ever before.

The SPEAKER:

Order! The member for Cessnock will come to order.

Mr DOMINIC PERROTTET:

These are the dividends that economic leadership delivers. Indeed, that leadership has been recognised across the board. I am pleased to inform the House that Moody's has reaffirmed our triple-A credit rating—a triple-A credit rating for a triple-A State led by a triple-A government. This makes us one of only 26 sub-sovereign jurisdictions around the world in that position. The shadow Minister for Finance, Services and Property does not understand asset recycling but the rating agencies certainly understand.

The SPEAKER:

Order! I remind the member for Cessnock that this is not a debate.

Mr DOMINIC PERROTTET:

They have highlighted our asset recycling strategy and record investment in infrastructure projects. Our financial foundations are built on the very things that the Labor Party has spent the past seven years opposing and that is because of a failure of leadership of those on the other side of the House. For example, let us take the WestConnex project: A road for the working families of Western Sydney and a road that will get people to work faster and to home more quickly.

The SPEAKER:

Order! Members will come to order.

Mr DOMINIC PERROTTET:

That road has been opposed by Labor Party members every step of the way. They opposed the plans, the financing and the construction. Those on this side of the House have shown leadership for the people of Western Sydney. Just two weeks ago we finalised the sale of 51 per cent of the Sydney Motorway Corporation and secured $9.3 billion for the people of New South Wales. That is the largest trade sale in the history of this State. Importantly, those funds will go to the construction of the WestConnex stage three M4‑M5 link. But it is better than that: This transaction will also provide billions of dollars to be invested in schools and hospitals, and will make a real difference to people's lives.

As I said, as a result of this transaction the people of this great State will continue to reap the rewards of our financial leadership. While those on this side have been showing leadership, what have we seen from those opposite? Following that transaction a press conference was held at which the member for Maroubra said that he opposed the road and the transaction, but he was still happy to take the money. Nothing typifies the Labor Party mentality more than letting other people do all the work, then taking the money and spending it. So with that approach he never should have been dumped as Labor's shadow Treasurer.

Extension of time

The shadow Treasurer was missing on that day, and for good reason—namely, we had the shadow Minister for Transport, and member for Strathfield. As the transaction was unfolding she decided to provide a public commentary on something she knew absolutely nothing about. She then took it upon herself to write to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to get it to knock out the successful consortium as a result of the transaction. Let us get this right: A Labor member of Parliament wilfully tried to sabotage a transaction that has delivered $9.3 billion for the people of this State. []

The SPEAKER:

Order! Members will come to order.

Mr DOMINIC PERROTTET:

This is very serious, but it comes straight out of Labor's playbook. Every single time it puts politics before the people of this State. Those actions were so irresponsible that the shadow Treasurer, to his credit, stayed right away. This was a juvenile stunt that could have jeopardised the financial position of this State—$9.3 billion and a transaction sabotaged by those opposite. When it comes to the lack of Labor's leadership we know that a fish rots from its head and it all starts with the Leader of the Opposition. He is the faceless man who accidentally became the face of the Labor Party—a number 11 batting at number one!

Daily TelegraphTime expired

We have a Premier who stands up for what is right and true; she governs for all the people across this State. We have a Labor leader who tries to be all things to all people. In order to secure inner-city votes, he opposes the WestConnex. Then to try to win votes in Western Sydney, he tells the that he supports the WestConnex and would in fact build it. Just last week at that great Country Labor conference that no-one turned up to, he criticised the Government for spending billions of dollars on a "single Sydney road". It is not a Sydney road; it is a road for the people of Western Sydney. "Two-faced" Foley is trying to be all things to all people. Now we have pill testing, on which the Premier has shown leadership today. Where is the Leader of the Opposition? Nowhere. The Labor Party will have a summit, which we know is the foundation to legalise drugs across New South Wales. The member for Summer Hill wants it, the member for Blue Mountains loves it and the candidate for East Hills is campaigning on it. This Government will always protect the people of New South Wales. [.]