“I think the temptation is to say there’s only one poll that counts and to shrug it off,” Minns said on Tuesday. “But I have to say we take it seriously,and it’s a good wake-up call for the government.”
The NSW premier said families were doing it tough with cost-of-living pressures,and the government had to be “constantly working on their behalf”.
“We don’t take government for granted,” he said. “If there’s a hint of arrogance that creeps into our organisation,into our government,we’ll get rid of it immediately because there’s no place for it.”
Minns made the comments on Tuesday at a Business Western Sydney event about the Metro West rail project. The government’s main revision to the $25 billion project – conceived and started by the Coalition – is the possible addition of a station at Rosehill,as part of a deal with the Australian Turf Club to convert Rosehill Racecourse to a mini-city of 25,000 homes.
The premier conceded last week that “irreconcilable differences” with ATC members could spell the end of the idea. However,he argued on Tuesday that the enormous potential of the deal to deliver homes for Sydneysiders would “weigh on the minds of the members” when they made their decision.
“Based on recent evidence,there’s unlikely to be a government that comes along that is as enthusiastic about uplift,density and housing,” Minns said. “So there are strong reasons why the ATC may adopt it.”