Predictions for what 2022 has in store for NSW politicians
It was the year NSW lost a premier, found a new one and battled the twists and turns of the ongoing pandemic. What will 2022 hold for our politicians? Here are our predictions.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
In the first months of 2019, NSW was ablaze. In 2020 we were locked down or restricted amid the Northern Beaches Covid outbreak, and in the summer of 2021-2022, NSW is at risk of flooding caused by the La Nina weather event.
Government officials and senior ministers are worried that heavy rainfall could see parts of the state inundated, in further bad news for a state weary from a year defined by the Delta wave.
And as the spread of Omicron begins to explode, 2022 could be the third year in a row where best-laid plans are punctuated by Covid.
Premier Dominic Perrottet has said that any responses to an explosion of Omicron will be targeted and proportional, seeking to delay any tougher public health measures until the impact of the virus on hospitalisations is known.
When restrictions were eased for the unvaccinated, Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the government has no plans for any further lockdowns. But just days later, the pro-business Jobs Minister Stuart Ayres told Channel 7 that “localised lockdowns” are an “option on the table” as NSW reopens the economy.
As the state’s population rushes to get their booster shots, Covid will continue to loom large over people’s lives.
Politically, one of the first big tests of the Perrottet government will be a “super-Saturday” of by-elections, potentially on February 12.
While former Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s electorate of Willoughby is a lock for the Liberals, and former Transport Minister Andrew Constance’s Bega electorate is also a probable Coalition hold, the Monaro electorate – vacated by former Deputy Premier John Barilaro – could be tighter. Strathfield, vacated by former Labor Leader Jodi McKay, will also be an interesting contest (with no Labor candidate yet selected).
Bridget Sakr, mother of Oatlands crash victim Veronique, has lodged her nomination to contest the seat for the Liberal Party – any challenge to her nomination could prove messy.
As campaigning for the state by-elections starts to get underway, there will be further talk about whether government MPs will jump ship and take a tilt at federal politics.
Holsworthy MP Melanie Gibbons wants to run for Craig Kelly’s seat of Hughes, but Mr Perrottet is resisting Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s push to poach her and others for Canberra.
There will be no risk that any ICAC findings into Ms Berejiklian overshadow the by-election to replace her – the corruption watchdog has delayed the timetable for when any possible findings will be handed down.
Counsel assisting the commission was due to give Ms Berejiklian draft submissions by December 20, but it was then delayed until February 15.
The ICAC could deliver findings of its corruption investigation into Ms Berejiklian in 2022, but doing so would require the corruption watchdog to move at lightning fast speed compared with its other probes.
The Perrottet government will be under pressure to put forward signature policy proposals in 2022 ahead of 2023’s March election. Senior ministers believe the government needs to outline a reason for voters to give them a fourth term.
Reforms to replace stamp duty with annual land tax could be an option, but the state government wants the Commonwealth to come to the table to fill the billions of dollars in lost revenue the policy would create in the early years.
Chris Minns will also need to sharpen Labor’s attack on the government by formulating his own policy ideas.
An early pledge to reinstate mobile speed camera warning signs has been mostly neutralised, and promises to build public transport infrastructure need further details.
A significant question for the Premier is whether he will extend emergency pandemic provisions under the Public Health Act which allow police officers to fine people for breaching public health orders.
In the final weeks of parliament for 2021, Mr Hazzard sought to have the powers extended until as late as October 2023. It was scrapped amid a backbench backlash, with the Premier vowing to only extend powers that are truly needed.
NSW Police doesn’t want to be tasked with enforcing Covid health orders, but with rising cases of Omicron already putting the public on edge, they may need to.
More Coverage
Originally published as Predictions for what 2022 has in store for NSW politicians
$20m health facility for town set to lose emergency department
New designs for a major health precinct in a south coast town set to lose its only emergency department have been revealed.
Wild horses free to good homes
Most captured wild horses do not get named, but pregnant Gypsy was one of the lucky ones. She’s now with a family, who’ve named her foal Pebbles, as part of a unique rehoming program.