Despite Lib billions, ALP ‘schools and hospitals’ push pays off

Labor is winning the battle on health and education, despite the tens of billions of dollars the Premier has thrown at them.

Labor is winning the battle on health and education and is on a par with the Coalition on transport, despite tens of billions of ­dollars that NSW Premier Gladys Bere­jiklian has thrown at the ­issues in the state election ­campaign.

But a Newspoll of 1003 NSW voters found the Coalition was considered more capable on infrastructure by seven points, with 41 per cent of voters considering the government superior on the issue to Labor’s 34 per cent.

The Coalition also was considered more capable than Labor on the economy (39 per cent to 31 per cent) and law and order (39 per cent to 33 per cent).

However, the poll showed the “Schools and Hospitals before Stadiums” slogan championed by Labor is biting ahead of the March 23 poll. This is despite Ms Bere­jiklian’s promise at her launch in Penrith on Sunday that NSW “can have it all” and build all three.

Labor is ahead 44 per cent to 35 per cent on health and 42 per cent to 36 per cent on education.

 

And despite the criticism of the former Labor government’s cancelled projects while in office, Labor is virtually neck and neck on transport (36 per cent to 37 per cent). On energy, despite Labor’s strong renewables target push leading to concern the party would end coal-fired power in NSW and threaten power supplies, the opposition is ahead 37 per cent to 34 per cent, showing the concern of voters on electricity prices.

Labor’s strongest lead is the ­environment, where it tips the ­Coalition 41 per cent to 30 per cent, with the issue important in three lineball north coast seats — Lismore, Tweed and Ballina — and in Coogee, in Sydney’s east.

That measure — and the seats in play — might explain why Ms ­Berejiklian has been reluctant to tackle Labor leader Michael Daley on the renewables issue or his ­opposition to a coal-seam gas plant at Narrabri.

The issues survey results come a day after The Australian published a NSW Newspoll that found the major parties deadlocked on two-party-preferred votes, which points to the likelihood of a minority government in NSW for the first time in 24 years.

Labor is traditionally seen as stronger in such polls on health and education and the Coalition traditionally has the strength on the economy and law and order, but the emphatic nature of the ­results is bad news for Ms Berejiklian when she has spent billions building schools and hospitals around the state, using the proceeds of Mike Baird’s sale of the electricity industry, and is promising billions more.

The transport result should also come as a shock to Ms Berejiklian and her team, who have ­attempted to make mileage on the fact Labor cancelled so many projects when last in office.

In her campaign launch, Ms Berejiklian said Labor promised seven train lines and delivered only half of one — an Epping to Chatswood line instead of Epping to Parramatta.

Ms Berejiklian has been hurt by the saga over blowouts and delays in the cost of the CBD light rail project. She has also been two months too late with the planned opening of the $8 billion North West Metro rail line.

Mr Daley promised $7.4bn for schools infrastructure yesterday, bringing his campaign spend up to $21bn and on the way towards Ms Berejiklian’s $28bn total.

There was an uncommitted vote in the poll varying between 21 per cent on health and 22 per cent on education, up to 30 per cent on the economy.