NSW election: Greens hand ALP $1.5bn ransom note

The Greens would demand billions­ be spent on regional renewables projects as part of their price for a NSW Labor win.

The NSW election, being fought by Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Labor leader Michael Daley, is tight with polls predicting either side could form minority government.

The Greens would demand billions­ of dollars of taxpayer money be spent on renewable energy projects in regional areas as part of their price for Labor taking­ power in NSW if a minority­ government becomes an option for Michael Daley after tomorro­w’s election.

 The price of Greens support, detailed yesterday, would force a Daley government to plough $1.5 billion into renewable energy projects in its first year in office, with similar investments to continu­e for a decade.

Publicly funded renewables projects could be set up in regional centres such as Broken Hill, the central west, the Northern Rivers and the Riverina.

“We would want one giga­watt of new renewables every year for a decade,” Greens NSW leader David Shoebridge said.

The Greens also want new anti-corruption laws in NSW, a royal commission into the planning­ system and a repeal of ­native vegetation laws.

With polls over the past week showing the election poised at 50-50 in two-party-preferred terms, minority govern­ment remain­s a likely option after tomorro­w’s election.

Mr Shoebridge said the minor party would never form an alli­ance or coalition with Labor.

But assuming the three Greens lower-house MPs retained power, they would be prepared to give Mr Daley confidence and supply, should Labor win enough seats to form minority government and agree to their demands.

The Greens have ruled out backing the Coalition.

The party revealed its demands as the Opposition Leader urged voters to overlook stumbles on key Labor spending promises during a televised debate with Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Thursday, saying that election campaigns were “not a game show or a test of memory”.

The Liberals made a last-ditch bid to win votes by issuing a robocall by former prime minister John Howard in marginal seats.

“A vote for a Labor MP in your area is a vote to make Michael Daley premier and that would mean higher taxes and cancelled projects,” Mr Howard said in the robocall.

Ms Berejiklian received a boost last night when the representat­ive body for Catholic schools in NSW found the ­Coalition was offering more capit­al funding for its schools and there was a “stark difference” between the two major parties on “the biggest issue for non-government schools”.

NSW Greens MP David Shoebridge.

In today’s The Pulse — a newsletter shared with up to 200,000 principals, teachers and parents in the Catholic school community, Catholic Schools NSW compares the Coalition’s and Labor’s commitment to capital funding.

“There remains a stark difference between the offerings of the two major parties in relation to capital funding — the biggest issue for non-government schools at this election,” it says.

“The ­Coalition has committed to $500 million over the next four years, while the Labor oppos­ition has made no public ­announcement.’’

The newsletter said the ­Coalition had agreed that, if re-elec­ted, it would raise capital funding from $41m a year to a total of $500m over four years.

Catholic Schools NSW is the representative body for 595 Catholic­ schools in the state but as a registered charity it is unable to ­officially endorse a political party.

Labor moved again to counter the impact of Mr Daley’s comments­ that Asian immigrants were “taking the jobs’’ of young Sydneysiders, with former prime minister Kevin Rudd joining Paul Keating in endorsing, through email and local media, candidates in the seats of Oatley, Strathfield, Kogarah, Coogee, East Hills, Granville and Ryde, which have high concentrations of Asian communiti­es.

Mr Daley has ruled out a forma­l coalition with other parties to secure government in NSW but has signalled a willingness to negotiate for support from the Greens and the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party.

Trying to defend himself over his failure in the debate to recall NSW Labor’s education and TAFE funding commitments, and showing uncertain­ty over the high cost of refurbish­ing Sydney’s Allianz­ stadium, Mr Daley made a late plea for voters to accept that he was “human”.

The Labor leader, who has been under fire after being forced to apologise for his Asian comments, said he made mistakes and correcte­d them shortly after a final leaders’ debate hosted by Sky News in western Sydney.

Mr Daley admitted during the debate he could not remember the sum Labor needed to increase the state’s education budget from 77 per cent to a promised 100 per cent of the Gonski funding model.

He also over-exaggerated Labor’s commitment to increased­ TAFE funding, saying it was $3bn rather than $64m. Mr Daley said Ms Berejiklian also made mistakes­, then later corrected­ them.

The NSW Premier’s debate error was to claim that a toll applie­d to roadways including the M4, when it has no toll.

Ms Berejiklian appeared more confident yesterday, campaigning in the Labor-held seat of Londonderry in the city’s west and spruiking the Coalition’s infrastructure program before returning to margina­l Liberal territory to visit Penrith Public School to inspect an upgrade. She said crucial projects such as the Southwest Metro extension and Western Harbour Tunnel/Beaches Link would be cancelled if Mr Daley were successful­ in the polls tomorrow.

“They want to cancel projects, and if you cancel projects, not only do you cancel fantastic ­congestion-busting opportunities for our residents across the state, but they’re also cancelling literally thousands and thousands of jobs,” Ms Berejiklian said.

After Mr Daley’s comments on Asian immigration, Mr Shoebridge confirmed there had been discussions among the Greens, including­ Newtown MP Jenny Leong, about dealing with Labor.

Mr Shoebridge said it had ­“solidified” the view within the Greens that there could be no ­coalition with Labor.

Rather, it would have to be a confidence and supply arrangement. He has ruled out any such arrangement with the ­Coalition.

Labor, which now has 34 seats, could win minority government with just six seat wins tomorrow because, with as few as 40 seats in the 93-seat chamber, it could gain the support of the Greens, Shooters MPs and independents.

“We would support a minority Labor government but with no formal­ coalition,” Mr Shoebridge said. “Every budget measure and piece of legislation” would be scrutinise­d by the Greens, in such an arrangement.

“Our key objective is reducing climate change and reversing some of the environmental laws. We (also) need to build more social and affordable housing and change our planning laws.”

Mr Shoebridge said it was telling that recent corruption trials involvin­g politicians emanating out of ICAC had involved an offenc­e in common law instituted by a judge in Britain “in the 1600s” of “misconduct in public office” — as such, proper codified anti-corrupti­on laws would be demanded­ by the Greens.