Exclusive interview: Gladys Berejiklian has big plans for NSW infrastructure
EXCLUSIVE: The woman to be crowned the state’s 45th Premier on Monday says she wants to “go even harder” on building infrastructure — including school and hospital upgrades.
NSW
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THE woman to be crowned the state’s 45th Premier on Monday says she wants to “go even harder” on building infrastructure — including school and hospital upgrades — declaring “the community wants to see their own backyard getting action”.
“I want to make it very clear from day one that we are a government for everyone,” Gladys Berejiklian, who is set to be voted by the Liberal Party room as the state’s new premier on Monday, told The Saturday Telegraph.
“In areas like infrastructure I want to go harder.
“The community wants to see action on the ground so not only will I maintain the current pace, but I will go harder.
“I think we are smashing it as a government in terms of economic performance and infrastructure spend but not everybody feels part of that success story.
“No matter where you live in this state, you will share in the massive success that we have demonstrated, and much of that success is because of Mike Baird and the strong team he’s held together.
“I have every intention of continuing to do what we do well, in a way where everybody feels that they are part of the success story in NSW.”
The 46-year-old, whose rise to the premier’s job was confirmed when ministers Andrew Constance and Rob Stokes confirmed yesterday they would not run against her, said she would not just focus on the big picture.
“Infrastructure projects means local schools and local communities; it’s not just about the mega-projects in Sydney,” she said.
“Infrastructure is about upgrades to hospitals, upgrades to school halls, sporting facilities.”
Ms Berejiklian said the government’s success in building big projects like the North West to Bankstown Metro and WestConnex had “normalised” major projects for the community.
“We’ve made it the new normal ... when in fact it’s been hard yards and I’ve lived through it for six years,” she said.
“The community wants to see their own back yard getting action.”
Ms Berejiklian was yesterday already tackling speed bumps, with broadcaster Alan Jones criticising her ability to connect with people on issues such as council amalgamations and lockout laws, and her links to factional players such as powerbroker Michael Photios.
Deputy Premier and Nationals leader John Barilaro also declared the Coalition agreement was a “blank sheet of paper” and he wanted an end to rural council mergers.
Mr Barilaro said that he wanted proposed regional amalgamations now the subject of court action — including Armidale Dumaresq and Guyra with Uralla and Walcha, Bathurst with Oberon, and Newcastle with Port Stephens — to be stopped.
“The councils in the courts, definitely they should not proceed. The Nationals have worn the brunt of Liberal party ideology,” Mr Barilaro said.
Ms Berejiklian said she took the Deputy Premier’s comments “in my stride”.
“He’s indicated his position; that’s a matter I don’t want to comment on until Monday,” she said.
“I’m looking forward, if the party room endorses me on Monday, to sitting down with him and talking about the issues that are important to him. We are a coalition.”
On her relationship with Mr Photios, the controversial lobbyist and moderate faction powerbroker, the premier-to-be said the only people interested in this were “journos”.
“Look at my record and how I’ve approached decision making,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“I’ve always been very determined to do things my own way and people can expect that from me.”
Ms Berejiklian said her MO was “if there’s a job to be done, I’ll get it done. Don’t really care if people notice or not”.
“People can expect that from me as premier: If there’s something to be done, something to be fixed, it’ll happen.”
The Willoughby MP said she did not hesitate in considering a tilt at the top job after Mr Baird told her that he was retiring when they caught up for a coffee meeting on Thursday morning on her return from holidays.
Two years and nine months earlier she had agreed to stand aside from a leadership contest to allow Mr Baird to be elected unopposed to replace Barry O’Farrell.
“Because I’ve been through this last time with Mike; once Mike told me what his intentions were, I was very clear what I wanted to do,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“My view always is — and I know this is going to sound immodest, which is not my nature — but I always believe in supporting the person that’s best for the job and that’s why I supported Mike last time.
“When he told me of his decision, which I knew he’d already made up his mind (about) ... he was very resolute in his position, I felt and I feel that I was the best person to do the job.”
Of rumours of a deal between the two, she said: “We never ever had any arrangement because we didn’t need to.
“My view to him ... was the longer he stayed in the job, the better it was for NSW.
“I believe that to my core.”
Ms Berejiklian declared she could win as Premier at the 2019 election.
“Absolutely, 100 per cent,” she said.
“Look at what we’ve done as a government.
“Look at all the opportunities we have in the next two years to demonstrate our capacity to keep delivering for the people of this state.
“In some ways we have been the victims of our own success because we can’t let people forget what it was like before we got to government,” she said.
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