NSW Election: Michael Daley stumped on cost of policies during Sky News, Daily Telegraph forum

A stumbling Michael Daley was unable to tell a crucial pre-election debate how much Labor’s key policies would cost | WATCH

NSW state Opposition Leader Michael Daley at the People’s Forum last night. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Michael Daley has stumbled over his education and TAFE funding commitments, telling a crucial pre-election debate he would “get back to you’’ when he couldn’t say how much Labor’s key policy promises would cost.

The Opposition Leader, who has been under fire over comments that Asian immigrants are “taking the jobs’’ of young Sydneysiders, was also fuzzy on how much it would cost to refurbish Allianz Stadium, which is currently being demolished and has been a flash point of the election campaign.

“I don’t know because don’t know what the stadium will look like,’’ Mr Daley said.

His apparent failure to grasp to detail of key policies handed ­Gladys Berejiklian a clear win in a forum at Western Sydney University on Wednesday night in what was likely their last face-to-face encounter before Saturday’s election.

An audience of 100 undecided voters decisively handed the debate to the Premier. Fifty said they would vote for the Coalition while 25 said they would vote Labor and 25 remained undecided.

ANALYSIS: Brain freeze caps ordinary display

The debate will hand a campaign boost to the Premier.

Asked about education spending, Mr Daley said Labor would lift funding from 77 per cent of the Gonski funding model to 100 per cent. But when host David Speers asked him to name the difference in dollar terms, Mr Daley said: “I can’t remember the exact figure. I’ll have a look at it. I just can’t remember it off the top of my head.’’

Asked about TAFE funding, Mr Daley again became confused. “It will be, ah, about $3 billion on TAFE.’’

Ms Berejiklian: “What?”

Mr Daley: “Let me check that figure.’’

Speers then asked Mr Daley: “You’re not sure on your education centrepiece, you’re not sure how much you’re spending on schools, and you’re not sure how much more you’re spending on TAFE?’’

Mr Daley: “I’ll just check that figure and get back to you.’’

Mr Daley later clarified that Labor would spend $2.7bn of a $7.4bn combined federal-state package over four years to increase public school funding.

At the Labor launch, Mr Daley announced the $2.7bn boost to public schools and an increase in TAFE funding of $64m.

Mr Daley started the debate attacking the government’s $70bn privatisation program and ­accusing the government of ­wasting $14bn on projects including the troubled eastern suburbs light rail.

Mr Daley also accused the government of being “at war with the environment’’ after one million fish died at the Menindee Lakes. He attacked the government as one that “doesn’t listen to people’’.

Ms Berejiklian plugged the government’s infrastructure program and said she wanted every person to “have the chance to be their best’’, arguing the government was trying to take pressure off households.

However, she faced complaints from the audience about mental health services in western Sydney and a lack of training places for graduate nurses.

On the environment, Mr Daley trumped Labor’s solar bonus to get 500,000 solar systems on rooftops.

He also said he would back students repeating last week’s climate change protest once a year.

Daley stumble ‘no surprise’

Gladys Berejiklian said she “wasn’t surprised” that Mr Daley could not recall key education policy cost figures in the debate.

“I wasn’t surprised because the Labor Party has always lacked detail on the finances,” Ms Berejiklian said on 2GB’s Alan Jones Breakfast show this morning.

“If you don’t keep an eye on the finances the citizens suffer, that’s why they turned our (Allianz) stadium into a basket-case.”

“I’ve always been someone who is across my brief and across the detail,” Ms Berejiklian said.

In response to a question on how the Premier thought she went, Ms Berejiklian replied: “I’ll let others talk about it.”

“If my government is elected we won’t take NSW backwards,” she said.

Additional reporting: Jessica Cortis