Where do Dominic Perrottet and Chris Minns stand on the big issues?
They are both churchgoing Catholics with a healthy respect for each other — and Paul Keating. But where do Dominic Perrottet and Chris Minns stand on the big issues?
NSW
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Premier Dominic Perrottet and Labor leader Chris Minns are both family men raised in the Catholic faith, each attending church regularly.
Neither supports voluntary assisted dying — Mr Perrottet has flagged allowing a conscience vote.
Both have cited Paul Keating as someone who has inspired them — Mr Perrottet has even watched all his YouTube videos.
Mr Perrottet says Mr Minns is a “great bloke, great hair”, while Mr Minns said the new Premier is good company.
The two are set to go head-to-head to fulfil their long-held ambitions to lead the state or, in the case of Mr Perrottet, win an election in his own right. But is that where the similarities end? Here’s where they stand on key issues.
WESTERN SYDNEY
The next state election is set to be fought, won or lost in western Sydney, with Labor set to target the five Liberal-held seats of Penrith, Parramatta, East Hills, Riverstone and the new seat of Leppington.
Mr Minns said working to his advantage was that Mr Perrottet did not understand how tough life was for Western Sydney residents.
“Tolls are up, taxes are up, fines are up and charges are up,” he said.
“In the past five years, life has become more difficult for families in Western Sydney. The Premier is doubling down on WestConnex, making life even harder for them.
“I would urge the Premier — don’t sign any more contracts that will increase tolls and don’t put any new tolls on existing roads.”
Mr Perrottet said Mr Minns was “wrong”.
“I have cut more taxes as Treasurer than any other treasurer; that’s part of my philosophy.
“I want to ease the cost of living for families and that is going to be a key focus for me,” he said.
Under a Perrottet government, family policies will be at the “front and centre”, a move that would benefit Western Sydney, he said.
The new Premier said he fought hard to reunite the “two Sydneys” that had been created by the lockdowns, and would continue to look for family-focused initiatives such as active kids vouchers and free swimming lessons.
“Western Sydney is the aspirational heart of our state and the nation; when Western Sydney goes well, our country goes well,” he said.
“I want Western Sydney to be the thriving hub of our state.
“I understand the values of Western Sydney families, I believe, more than most. I’ve had a strong affiliation with Western Sydney. I grew up in the northwest and have a young family. I understand cost-of-living pressures.
CEMETERIES
All eyes are on Mr Perrottet to see whether he will scrap a plan to centralise control of cemeteries, a move that the Catholic Church has been lobbying against.
Mr Minns said he was confident Mr Perrottet would change tack.
“We don’t like it,” Mr Minns said. “The Catholic Cemeteries Trust has been working well and I don’t understand what the drive is.”
With the plan before cabinet, Mr Perrottet said it was inappropriate to comment.
“I can’t provide public commentary as this is under consideration by cabinet and the expenditure review committee,” he said.
FAT CATS
Among the first things Mr Perrottet did on becoming Premier was install his favourite public servant, Michael Coutts-Trotter, at the head of Department of Premier and Cabinet.
But the sacking of Jim Betts, who had been slated for the job by Gladys Berejiklian, has
raised questions by Mr Minns over payouts.
Labor calculates Betts would have received at least $470,000 of his annual $644,850 salary.
“We need to ensure we are not swapping out senior bureaucrats with payouts going out the door,” Mr Minns said.
Mr Perrottet, who described Mr Coutts-Trotter as an “outstanding” public servant whom he had worked alongside for eight years, said there was unlikely to be more change “at this stage”.
Covid
Mr Perrottet has brought forward changes to the state’s road map, and he gets no opposition from Mr Minns, despite some evidence of anxiety in the community.
But absence of a vaccine passport was an issue, with not all businesses aware of what their obligations were if an unvaccinated person entered the premises.
“If you asked a cafe or restaurant what they will do, many will say ‘I don’t know’,” Mr Minns said. “We are 72 hours away from opening and there is no vax passport.”
As for how things could have been done better, Mr Perrottet said in a global pandemic, governments would always make mistakes, but overall Australia had some of the lowest death rates in thew world.
“When you do make mistakes, we learn from them. The public does not expect their politicians to be perfect, but humble enough that they accept that, put their hand up and move on,” he said.
STADIUMS
Australian Rugby League Commission Chairman Peter V’landys has been lobbying the government to build new boutique suburban stadiums at Brookvale, Liverpool, Kogarah and Penrith — a move Mr Minns, who represents the electorate of Kogarah, said he would be open to.
Mr Perrottet said he wanted local communities to not just have access to “the best schools, hospitals and public transport” but also “the best local sporting facilities”.
“V’landys is not backwards in coming forwards and he and the sports minister will work through that,” he said.
WOMEN
Despite both Mr Perrottet and Mr Minns replacing female leaders, each has pledged to work on bringing more women into parliament.
Mr Perrottet said it would be a key focus.
“It is going to be a significant focus of mine,” he said.
“Politics is a difficult job, but our parliament is better the more diversity there is and bringing more women into parliament will be a key focus of mine.”
Mr Minns said Labor had strict rules with targets, along with “some very good candidates”, especially in Western Sydney.
HOUSING
High-rise towers now span the suburbs, especially in Western and southwestern Sydney, and Mr Minns said it was time for other areas to share the burden.
“Some parts of Sydney have had a massive increase in housing; the population of Camden over the next 20 years will increase to 227,000 people and more than 200,000 in Parramatta, but Mosman is increasing by just 1000,” he said.
Mr Perrottet said: “Housing and housing affordability are a real challenge, and I want people to have the opportunity to live close to where they work and access the housing that they want,” he said.
COAL
Mr Minns, who will be targeting key seats in mining areas, said the fate of mining would be determined by the countries that were buying the 90 per cent of coal that was being dug up.
“But a coal miner will tell you thermal coal has very serious challenge and we need to start diversifying, looking at domestic manufacturing, building trains, buses and ferries right here,” he said.
Mr Perrottet, who said climate change was as much as an economic issue as an environment one, said the State was naturally transitioning to a renewable future.
“But at the same time, coal remains an important part of our energy right here,” he said.
OPPONENT
Asked how they each rated their opponent, Mr Minns described Mr Perrottet as “good company”, but said although he was a family man, he did not understand how tough life had become over the past five years, “especially in Western Sydney”.
As for Mr Minns, Mr Perrottet, who noted how his rival was “in a marginal seat”, responded: “Great bloke, great hair.”
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