NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey’s second budget in nine months, unveiled last week, was a classic Labor document in its support for education and health, somewhat brave in its slugging of property investors, and disingenuous in its blaming of the GST carve-up for the financial woes of NSW going forward.
This time around there were no expensive sweeteners to ease the cost of living, no initiatives specifically aimed at women and no Liberal-style cash splashes.
Instead, the boy from Blacktown announced a $6.6 billion investment in social housing, new incentives for bulk-billing in the form of a payroll tax rebate for qualifying GPs, and some new support for flood-affected communities across the state. Generally though the focus was all on Sydney, particularly Western Sydney.
Parramatta’s light rail will be extended, as promised, to the tune of $2 billion, and the new Western Sydney International Airport will benefit from over a billion dollars to be spent on new roads snaking across what was once quiet, semi-rural country, servicing an airport which will pollute the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area.
The NSW budget also includes a plan for potentially 21,000 new homes to be built on surplus government land, mostly in and around Sydney, as the Emerald City continues to expand.
Education spending includes $3.6 billion for schools in Western Sydney, with $1.4 billion allocated for new and upgraded schools across regional areas of the state.
Trees can’t vote
Despite the big talk of Chris Minns and his Labor team at the last election, NSW nature continues to be left out in the cold, just as it was under Gladys Berejiklian and Dominic Perrottet.
The Nature Conservation Council of NSW noted that the government is spending just 1.61 per cent of its latest budget on the environment (an even lower figure than last year’s effort), with increased spending on renewables doing nothing to address the biodiversity and extinction crisis unfolding across the state, and taxpayers continuing to foot the bill for the destruction of native forests.
As yet, there are no publicly announced plans to follow Queensland, Victoria and WA and end native logging in NSW.
NCC CEO Jacqui Mumford responded to the 2024 budget by saying, ‘Whilst Premier Chris Minns loves spruiking the beauty of NSW nature and posting selfies in pretty places, it’s clear biodiversity isn’t a priority for this government.’
The ongoing destruction also makes no sense economically, with the native hardwood division of Forestry Corporation losing $44 million over the last three years.
Kean’s parting shot
With exquisite timing, former NSW energy minister and treasurer Matt Kean chose budget day to announce his departure from the political landscape, stealing attention from his replacement’s big annual moment in the media spotlight.
Before going through the revolving door to undoubtedly greener pastures as the head of the Climate Change Authority, the former leadership contender told the press, ‘I’m sorry to take you away from the worst NSW budget in modern history, but I’ve got another announcement to make today.
‘Today, after thirteen years as the member for Hornsby, I will be retiring from parliament.’
Mr Kean used his final political statement to continue to defend the indefensible behaviour of his ‘great friend and mentor’ Gladys Berejikilian, claiming she had been unfairly savaged by ICAC and the media, despite her proven and corrupt wrongdoing.
For all that, Kean was also someone who publicly accepted that climate change was, in his words, ‘the challenge of our generation’. His resignation represents the departure of one of the last prominent moderate Liberals from the state and potentially federal scene, clearing the decks for someone more in the spirit of the times, i.e. another populist utterly disconnected from reality.
Who will be the next former Young Liberal to stumble into the NSW spotlight?
Originally from Canberra, David Lowe is an award-winning film-maker, writer and photographer with particular interests in the environment and politics. He’s known for his campaigning work with Cloudcatcher Media.
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