Perrottet moves fast to put NSW reopening in front
Dominic Perrottet set out his immediate priority as NSW Premier on Tuesday and it is the right one: reopening the state from next week. Wisely, he is sticking to the schedule laid out by Gladys Berejiklian. The reopening will put our largest state ahead of the rest of the nation in restoring freedoms and economic activity. While he is taking a cautious approach to his public statements, having just been sworn in, Mr Perrottet is considering reopening schools and churches, and winding back emergency cabinet meetings as the crisis abates.
Behind the scenes Mr Perrottet, who is strongly pro-business, played a key role in encouraging Ms Berejiklian and NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant to limit lockdowns as much as possible through the worst of the pandemic and he has been intent on pushing ahead with rebooting the economy quickly, including welcoming the return of international students.
His immediate task will be to safely lead the state, and effectively the nation, out of the Covid hibernation which, with the expected rise in infections and deaths, will be a heart-stopping introduction to his new role. In the longer term, Mr Perrottet will face voters in 17 months against a formidable opponent in new state Labor leader Chris Minns. Mr Minns has been a revelation since taking over: hardworking, sharp and articulate. Mr Perrottet’s first electoral test will come quickly – at least three by-elections, for Willoughby (Ms Berejiklian’s seat), Bega (where transport minister Andrew Constance has resigned) and Monaro, the adjacent seat of outgoing Nationals leader John Barilaro.
The departure of Mr Barilaro will be felt in the regions as keenly as the loss of Ms Berejiklian. Mr Barilaro is a complicated man, not without fault, but he has managed to deliver exceptional results against the always marauding fringe parties such as One Nation and the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party. With his straight-shooting language, Mr Barilaro has managed to cut through the political doublespeak so often offered voters. He was the first to publicly call out Malcolm Turnbull as prime minister and demand his resignation, not willing to quietly allow the malaise and drift of a federal government without direction to seep into NSW politics.
The Nationals have a challenge to find the right candidate to hold the Coalition together and heading in the right direction while galvanising regional voters. For the first conservative to lead the Liberals in NSW since Nick Greiner, Mr Perrottet has the support of a partyroom dominated by moderates. Quite a feat in itself, but maintaining their support on fringe issues does carry with it some risks. Thankfully, the deal to deliver him power was struck to slot Stuart Ayres next to him as deputy premier. Mr Ayres, from the western Sydney suburb of Penrith, is a substantial figure who is a wise choice in the leadership role. Mr Ayres, the partner of Foreign Minister Marise Payne, who is the most significant NSW moderate leader, has shown great resilience, battling for strong policy outcomes, delivering sensible decisions around sporting stadiums and driving major events and ambitious plans for NSW.
It is hard to have the same level of confidence in new Treasurer Matt Kean, a wannabe powerbroker with a penchant for self-promotion and a predilection for over-talking and underdelivering. His performance as environment minister would not give voters much confidence he can master the challenging task of running the state’s economy, which will require a deft touch and level of ingenuity and artfulness that to date, with all his bounding alacrity, he has not exhibited any signs of possessing. Having said that, Mr Kean is a fast learner. His hiring and quick firing of Malcolm Turnbull, having given him a key role as a net-zero emissions adviser, did at the very least reveal Mr Kean could execute a shameless but necessary reverse-ferret when required.
Mr Perrottet at 39 is young for such a big role, but he has the talent to succeed.