New South Wales needs a Premier who will fight for it, rather than surrendering key decisions to Canberra.
Chris Minns has now repeatedly failed to stand up to the Albanese Labor Government, leaving the fate of our infrastructure projects and population growth up to the federal government.
We still don't know the fate of major infrastructure projects across the state that have had their federal funding pulled by the Albanese Government, because Chris Minns has not told us if he plans to cancel them or will seek to find funding from other programs.
It's disappointing Chris Minns has ignored the opportunity to work with the Opposition on advocating for a better targeted and more sustainable immigration program that serves NSW needs and eases pressure on our housing and infrastructure – rather than piling on additional pressure.
Chris Minns could have fought for our communities and their needs, but instead he has failed to stand up to Canberra, leaving the NSW Opposition to call for migration to be reined in. The NSW Opposition called for a migration slowdown which would reduce pressure on rents and improve access to home ownership. We await the details of how far Anthony Albanese has heeded these calls, but Chris Minns has failed to do so.
Immigration has enriched our society and strengthened economic growth, but our current record pace is vastly outstripping our ability to keep up with housing supply, which is leading to record rents and record unaffordability for home buyers.
To ensure that these challenges are not left in the too hard basket, our state needs a Premier who will put NSW first.
