Dominic Perrottet is not a villain, he’s just wrong for NSW

The attack on Premier Dominic Perrottet’s faith is wrong and has no place in NSW politics, writes NSW Labor deputy leader Prue Car.

This week, many in the commentariat have tried to paint newly-appointed Premier Dominic Perrottet as a religious supervillain.

Their attack on his faith is wrong and should have no place in NSW politics.

NSW Labor is home to people of all faiths and religious communities across the state. Our representatives stand up for our state’s religious communities and many are proud to practice their faiths.

Prue Car says Dominic Perrottet’s decisions have hurt the people of western Sydney she represents. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

There are many reasons Dominic Perrottet is wrong for NSW — his religion is not one of them.

I’ve known Dominic for more than 15 years. He’s been a very artful politician throughout that entire period.

But there is a reason Dominic Perrottet hid in his predecessor’s shadow for so long: he’s no Gladys Berejiklian.

There is no getting around the fact that Perrottet’s rise has been littered with seat-switching and backroom deals. It’s time ordinary people got a look in.

Perrottet has spent more than a decade in government. He’s said a lot in that time but his agenda has made life harder, not easier, for working families in areas like Western Sydney — a community I represent.

When he says he wants to institute an unending tax on the family home, people are right to be worried about their financial futures.

Dominic Perrottet after being sworn in as NSW Premier on Tuesday. Picture: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

He’s expressed support for an increase to the GST, which would hit family budgets.

He’s also wasted more taxpayer money than any Treasurer before him, with his icare insurance bungles costing taxpayers millions.

Government waste abounds and he has presided over stifling bureaucracy and big spending budget blowouts on projects.

Meanwhile schools promised five years ago still haven’t been built in the fast-growing suburbs of Sydney.

Perhaps the worst hit on families in Western Sydney was his decision to sell off all of WestConnex to a private company.

Transurban now owns all or part of the M2, M4, M5, M5 East, M7, M8, Lane Cove Tunnel, the Cross City Tunnel, the NorthConnex and the Eastern Distributor.

The most tolled city on Earth now has to deal with a virtual private monopoly, with tolls rising at four per cent a year for 20 years. Double the rate of inflation.

There will be many disagreements between the Opposition and Labor in the coming months about the direction of our state – picking on someone’s religion to score political points will not be one of them.

Many want Perrottet to be a villain. He’s not. He’s just wrong for NSW.

Prue Car is the deputy leader of NSW Labor