NSW Labor leader Luke Foley rules out deal with One Nation

NSW Labor leader Luke Foley has ruled out making any deals with Pauline Hanson’s One Nation.

Mr Foley said the arrival of ON was a “sinister development. Picture: Hollie Adams

NSW Labor leader Luke Foley has declared he’d “rather lose an election than sup with the devil” as he ruled out making any deals with Pauline Hanson’s One Nation.

Former federal Labor leader Mark Latham announced yesterday he would run as an upper house candidate for the far right party.

Mr Latham only needs to receive 4.5 per cent of the statewide to gain a spot in the upper house.

Mr Foley said the arrival of One Nation was a “sinister development for the body politic.” he told ABC.

“We won’t preference a single One Nation candidate in NSW because Labor won’t have a bar of racially discriminatory migration policies.”

The NSW Liberals have refused to rule out a preference deal with One Nation.

Mr Foley will today unveil a transport plan aimed at improving public transport in western Sydney including building a new fast rail line between the Sydney and Parramatta CBDs called the western Metro.

“Our first population is western Sydney because that’s where the population growth is.”

Western Sydney’s population is booming due to high migration levels and areas like Fairfield have large refugee communities.

Mr Foley said Labor would take $2.4 billion earmarked in the budget for the a tunnel between Arncliffe and Kogarah to improve the rail corridor between Sydney and the Illawarra.

Mr Foley ruled out cancelling WestConnex but said the planned Northern beaches tunnel would get the axe.

“A $14bn tunnel to the northern beaches serves half a million people on that peninsula.” he said.

“Western Sydney, where the historic underinvestment in public transport has been, will soon have a population of three million.”

Mr Foley backed earlier statements where he called for a national population policy where the federal government collaborates with the states to ensure infrastructure funding matches population growth.

“It’s very expensive business building these rail lines and roads and schools and hospitals,” he said. “If Canberra wants to grow Sydney’s population by 100,000 a year well then they have to come to the party.”

Mr Foley said he expected to remain Labor leader despite harassment allegations made against him under parliamentary privilege by the State Government.