He also pledged more local manufacturing of key transport assets such as ferries and trains.
The last fell into relative obscurity as the campaign progressed,but the other themes have resonated with voters weighed down by cost-of-living pressures,agitated over the state of essential service delivery,and seemingly tired of a 12-year-old government that – for all the energy Dominic Perrottet put into the campaign – could not keep its own house in order or accurately read the mood of the electorate.
Minns’ explanation for his victory was straightforward,and it’s similar to the approach that got Peter Malinauskas to victory in South Australia a year ago.
“Labor had its ear to the ground,” he said. Unlike the government,his team did not have a large bureaucracy at its disposal,or much in the way of staff or other resources,he added.
But “myself and my senior shadow ministers were very close to the ground,speaking directly to nurses and teachers,speaking directly to community organisations … there was never a buffer between us and the people of this state. We crafted our policies based on the here and now and what we were hearing from the community.”
He wanted to keep those lines of direct connection open even while in government,he said.
“I don’t want a big layer,whether its bureaucratic or ministerial staff between us and the people of NSW ... In many ways we have been successful on Saturday because we were very close to ordinary people … I don’t want to lose that now that we have won.”
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It’s a worthy aim,but as the realpolitik of day-to-day governing begins,it will be interesting to see how far the Labor leader can adhere to these principles.
Minns can relish the huge personal margin he has built up in his own seat of Kogarah,which was the state’s equal most marginal on a 0.1 per cent going into the election,but is now among Labor’s safest. That is testament not only to Minns but also to Morris Iemma,the former Labor premier and a key mentor to Minns who has been overseeing the ground campaign in Kogarah for months as well as providing broader strategic advice.
Minns’ greatest challenge will be the inexperience of his front bench team. Only former leader Michael Daley had had ministerial experience going into the election. Minns’ own shadow portfolios before becoming leader – water and transport – did not include either of the heavyweight economic portfolios,treasury and finance. Iemma says despite this,the incoming front bench are “very competent people who will run a proper administration ... It will not be a profligate government and it won’t be about the egos of individual ministers,it will be a collective effort. It will reflect Chris.”
Minns swears by the “energy and ideas” of his relatively youthful team. They will need all that,and more,to navigate the perilous shoals of the early months of government.
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