The NSW Labor government marked its one year in office this week with a jubilant statement of achievements issued from Macquarie Street HQ.
Premier Chris Minns’ spin doctors say 74 bills were passed and they are ‘delivering on major election commitments’.
There was a lot riding on NSW Labor when they finally got control of the state last year.
For nearly a decade, the state had been plundered by neoliberal gangster clowns, resulting in a less fair, and meaner society.
So how are Labor governments different to the Liberal-Nationals?
To be fair, Labor have made improvements with pay and conditions for essential services and frontline workers. Education, health, infrastructure etc are the bedrock of government business, and have always been Labor’s strength.
The premier’s media release also said, ‘We’ve reduced debt by $13 billion, despite inheriting the largest debt ever passed from one government to another’.
So how about protecting diminishing biodiversity and the unsustainable rate of land clearing and species loss?
There were passing comments about $172 million to save koalas in the wild, but given they won’t stop Forestry NSW logging koala habitat, it’s all spin.
Planning reform
Despite all this, the joyous government media release puts cost of living as their number one priority, and ‘at the centre of that is housing’.
Planning reform achievements were listed, yet they continue misleading the public around affordable housing.
When given the chance to reform the housing State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) last year, they failed to improve the metrics which give advantage to speculating developers. The SEPP offers little for those who can’t afford a home.
What wasn’t included in their achievement list was a commitment to public housing.
No flood funding, yet
As demonstrated on the page 3 story, ‘NSW Labor no show with flood funds’, thousands of north coast flood-affected residents are still without assistance, despite promises.
Should the public accept broken promises and a lack of transparency? It’s taxpayer money after all.
And how about Labor’s values around social justice?
Like the NSW Liberal-Nats, NSW Labor appear unwilling to reform police behaviour around strip searching minors, or pointless and expensive cannabis raids, for example.
And last week, NSW Greens MLC, Sue Higginson, said, ‘The Minns Labor government passed rushed, broad, and badly-drafted bail laws that will see vulnerable children and young people locked up’.
She says, ‘The opposition to these laws is remarkable. The Bar Association, the Law Society, the cross bench and even members of the Liberal Party and the government united against both the spirit and execution of new laws’.
Is there room for improvement? Clearly. Yet comparing NSW Labor to the NSW Liberal-Nats won’t produce better governance – the only agent of positive change is a more informed and active public.
Does that sound like a big ask?
Hans Lovejoy, editor
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