New Liberal leader Kellie Sloane vows to reverse NSW 'baby recession'

Fresh from taking the Liberal leadership, Kellie Sloane has declared war on NSW’s plummeting birth rate, warning deaths will outnumber births by 2050.

Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane is keen to make it easier for families to have more children. Picture: Julian Andrews

New Liberal leader Kellie Sloane wants to address the “baby recession” in NSW, and believes reinstating the IVF rebate and helping ease cost-of-living pressures on couples to be the key.

The Vaucluse MP – who has three teenage boys – has declared helping families to be among her priorities, including addressing childcare shortages.

While Ms Sloane will first speak with her party colleagues, she said that addressing the declining birthrate by helping couples have babies would be a key priority.

The former Coalition government introduced a $2000 IVF rebate in 2022 to help women accessing fertility services to cover some of their out-of-pocket expenses.

However, the rebate was scaled back by the Minns government this year, making it “virtually unattainable” to many couples, Ms Sloane said.

Kellie Sloane headed to Harris Park, in Sydney’s west, during her first day as NSW Liberal leader. Picture: Julian Andrews

At the same time, “big corporates” such as Atlassian were offering financial incentives for female employees to freeze their eggs, a move Ms Sloane said felt “very Big Brother-ish”.

Ms Sloane said governments needed to make it easier for couples to have children “and I believe we can help achieve that”.

“I’ve said my priority is families. I want to see a baby boom in NSW,” she said.

“We have a declining birthrate, the big corporates are offering financial incentives for female employees to freeze their eggs – this is where we’ve got to as a country.

“There has got to be a better way.

“We are in a baby recession at the moment. By mid-2050, it is estimated that deaths will outnumber births in this country.

Ice cream pit stop in Parramatta. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

“One of the cruellest things this government did was cut the IVF rebate for hopeful young families. One in seven couples has fertility issues.

“And in order for people to want to grow their families, they have to be able to afford to raise them and it is incumbent on us and the government to provide solutions for them, so I will be working with the team to come up with practical measures to be supportive.”

Ms Sloane spent her first day in the job of NSW Liberal leader going on a walk in Parramatta where she received a rock star welcome from locals, and heckling by protesters who accused her of being a leader for “developers and billionaires”.

Ms Sloane told them she would be happy to sit down and talk through their concerns.

The instalment of Ms Sloane into the top job this week has buoyed many Liberals, who hope she can win over 30 to 50-year-old women – the demographic the party needs to win if it is to have a chance of victory at the 2027 election.

Former premier Mike Baird – who endorsed Ms Sloane when she ran for preselection – said she was what the Liberal Party needed.

“The reason that she is leader is because she is real,” Mr Baird said.

“She has capability, tenacity, compassion and vision. It’s not made up. It’s not from a focus group, and that’s why I think she will be very successful.

“She will be a standout and will make a mark in NSW. We need to be attracting people like her. People resonate with vision and authenticity – not focus group research.”

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