Premier Gladys Berejiklian needs to fire up and stamp her authority on Sydney to win the election
There was a moment three weeks ago when Premier Gladys Berejiklian publicly put some rowdy protesters in their place — a show of authority that became the talk of the day. It’s a sign of something larger though — voters and colleagues want to see this side of the Premier more often, writes Anna Caldwell.
Opinion
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There was a moment three weeks ago when Premier Gladys Berejiklian publicly snapped at rowdy protesters, putting them firmly in their place.
The scene was the opening of the Yandhai Nepean Crossing Bridge in Penrith.
It’s the kind of bridge you don’t care about unless you use it every day — so the event was a hyper-local kind of affair.
Which may explain why this telling event barely registered.
As it happens, some of the thousands of locals who will use the new crossing showed up for the ribbon-cutting — as did a much smaller group who came along to protest, of all things, a bridge replacement project in an entirely different electorate — i.e., the Windsor Bridge.
Before she spoke, Ms Berejiklian could see the protesters wanted to cause some trouble. She thought about moving away so she wasn’t speaking too close to them, then decided against it. The protesters were loud, but as the Premier took the microphone she was having none of it.
“We appreciate you’ve got issues with the Windsor Bridge. Today’s about Penrith, OK? So just keep quiet,” she yelled back of them.
The crowd roared in support.
A couple of moments later, Ms Berejiklian went at them again: “Today’s a day for Penrith. If you want to protest, go somewhere else.”
Again, cheers.
It was a show of authority from the Premier. But the really interesting thing happened in the hours, days and weeks after that moment.
Her rebuke was the takeout for anyone who came to the event. People congratulated her afterwards. It was the talk of the day.
After that local MP Stuart Ayres could not go anywhere in Penrith without someone saying they’d seen the Premier discipline the protesters and, bloody hell, it was good.
It seems like a small moment. But the Premier’s rebuke at the bridge and the reaction to it was emblematic of something larger.
There is a desire among not just voters but also Ms Berejiklian’s own colleagues to see this side of the premier more often.
Fast forward to Monday night’s Bradfield Oration.
It was another outing for the Premier’s fiery side.
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She spoke passionately about all the work the Liberal National government had done to build infrastructure. She was talking cranes in the sky and billions of dollars spent. Dry stuff perhaps but she was visibly passionate.
Some thought she was defensive in the face of increased attacks from Labor under a new Michael Daley-led opposition. But you’d be hard pressed to find someone in the audience who didn’t agree it was the most fiery they’d seen the Premier in some time.
Several of Sydney’s power set — infrastructure bosses and politicians — remarked to me after the oration that Ms Berejiklian had been stronger than they’d seen her before.
And they were impressed. The consensus was she should do more of it — a view often repeated by her strongest parliamentary backers as well.
Ms Berejiklian has battled accusations that she lacks authority this year. There was the disastrous spat between cabinet ministers Dominic Perrottet and Ray Williams over who gets what seat.
There was edging away from a stadiums policy.
Most recently, there was a narrow single-vote victory for her endorsed candidate in the North Shore preselection, which has now resulted in a messy challenge.
Ms Berejiklian needs to find a way to defeat the narrative repeated often by her detractors that she lacks authority. And to do that, she needs to show authority.
It’s not always as simple as pulling protesters into line in Penrith.
Sometimes it’s bigger picture stuff, like the authority she stamped when she overruled Opera House boss Louise Herron on promoting the state’s massive Everest horse race on the iconic building.
This is the leader Ms Berejiklian’s supporters believe can take them to victory.
Never has authority been as important as it is now. The stakes are high. Locked 50/50 at the polls with the just four months to go until the election, a fight is on.
Labor looks to be showing the electorate that it will be disciplined under Daley.
The new state Labor leader is still enjoying a honeymoon period but it’s working just as it should. He’s on the front foot and the Labor foot soldiers have fallen in behind him.
He needs to do just that because the public doesn’t know who he is. Regardless, his elevation has reset the landscape.
The government is priming itself to fight Daley on his old Labor roots and links to the Obeid era.
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet has led the charge on this front, with well-delivered question time stings.
It’s clear that this is precisely the shape government attack ads will take come March.
Labor will try to combat this problem with bold policy. The challenge for the government is to not fall into the trap of trying to make this an election about record.
The government’s record is strong, there is no doubt. It has runs on the board for economic management and infrastructure building, where Labor simply does not.
But voters will be looking to the future.
And they will want a strong, authoritative premier to take them there.
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