Michael Daley, the ‘unknown man’ on track to lead NSW

This man has been in his role for just four months and people barely know who he is. But he’s a real shot of being the next NSW premier.

Michael Daley has been the leader of the NSW Opposition for just 132 days.

And yet, in that short time — and despite an embarrassing scandal that toppled his predecessor — he has managed to equal Gladys Berejiklian in the preferred premier stakes.

Polls suggest Labor is also dead even with the Liberal-National Coalition on a two-party preferred basis, giving him a real shot of leading the country’s most populous state after Saturday’s poll.

A news.com.au reader poll, which has collected more than 19,000 votes, had Mr Daley ahead of Ms Berejiklian 53 per cent to 46 per cent, as of Friday morning.

For Mr Daley, the desire to lead came early.

“I’ve wanted to be a politician since I was eight-years-old,” Mr Daley told news.com.au this week.

“My mum and dad tell the story of me sitting in front of the (television) watching the tally room for one of Gough Whitlam’s elections. I know that sounds nerdy.

“I sat transfixed looking at the TV all night watching the tally room. I don’t know if I understood what I was watching. I don’t come from a political family.”

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As he got older, that fascination about the political process turned into a realisation of the power that comes with public life.

“You have the power to make a real difference to people’s lives. I feel that responsibility heavily. That’s why I’m sitting here now — I’m not doing this for me,” Mr Daley said.

Polls suggest Michael Daley is equal with Gladys Berejiklian in the preferred premier stakes, and Labor and the Liberal-National Coalition are neck-and-neck on a two-party preferred basis. Picture: Justin Lloyd

Michael Daley replaced Luke Foley as Labor leader just months ago. Picture: John Grainger

Eight years ago, Labor was resoundingly defeated after a tumultuous period in government that included corruption scandals, botched projects and an enormous budget deficit.

Those memories are likely still lingering in the mind of voters as they prepare to head to ballot boxes tomorrow. But Mr Daley said Labor had learnt its lesson.

“Voters always get it right — they put that government to death. Dead, buried, gone,” Mr Daley said.

“What we’ve done in the last eight years is to make sure we go back to good old-fashioned community based politics. I’m really proud of our team. When parliament isn’t sitting, they’re not here in this building — they’re out and about in communities.

“That’s enabled us to come up with a raft of positive policies for people, to make things better. It’s all driven from the ground up. We listen, we learn and we act.”

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Michael Daley (right) in 2005 with then-premier Bob Carr.

On the flip side, Mr Daley claims the people of NSW have been “ambushed” by the Berejiklian Government.

“The amalgamation of councils, banning the greyhound industry without notice, smashing through devastating light rail sending businesses broke, tunnelling just metres beneath people’s houses on WestConnex, shaking and cracking homes and blaming it on the weather … this is a government that has not come clean with people,” he said. “Their model’s a bad model. I’ll turn it on its head.”

Michael Daley is campaigning on a platform of education and health funding. Picture: David Swift

Michael Daley has also vowed to scrap plans to redevelop Sydney’s Allianz Stadium. Picture: Monique Harmer

Despite the polling, Mr Daley’s name — and face — recognition across NSW remains low.

Although, an 11th-hour gaffe this week, in which a video surfaced of Mr Daley making comments about Asian people living in Sydney, increased his visibility for the wrong reasons. His performance at an election debate on Wednesday was also marred by his inability to recall how much funding Labor had pledged for education.

Aside from that, in what has been a low-key election campaign, many voters might find themselves unsure who he Mr Daley is and what he stands for.

When asked what he wanted the public to know about him before Saturday, Mr Daley’s answer is simple: “That I’m one of them.”

Born and bred in the Maroubra in Sydney’s southeast, where he still lives with wife Christina, the father-of-four said he shared many of the same pressures as others.

“I’m an ordinary bloke,” he said.

His first job was as a paper delivery boy before he became a customs officer. At night he studied law, eventually becoming a lawyer.

Michael Daley says he wants to be a positive policy premier and restore trust. Picture: AAP

Twenty-three years ago, Mr Daley entered public life as a councillor, before running for state parliament in 2005.

“I’m in the hope business,” he said of his particular brand of politics.

“People are feeling a bit down and depressed about politics and government because they’re sick of politicians telling them what to do.

“They’re sick of governments walking into their communities and telling them what’s good for them.
“They feel this government doesn’t listen to them.

“I will listen to them because I want to hear from. After 23 years of public life, I’ve got a saying — if you want to find an expert, they’re called locals.”

Michael Daley at home with his wife Christina and children Olivia, 12, and Austen, 8. Picture: Justin Lloyd

Labor’s policies focus heavily on education and health investment, as well as congestion-busting projects and public transport infrastructure.

His key message is to prioritise schools and hospitals over stadiums — an attack on the premier’s contentious $1.5 billion stadiums plan.

Mr Daley is also attempting to channel a general feeling of discontent in parts of the electorate with the government and of politics itself.

“The way to engender trust is to look people in the eye, giving them the respect of listening to them, and acting on it. That’s what I want to do,” he said.

NSW heads to the polls tomorrow.