Publisher's Guest
Barry O'Farrell, NSW Opposition Leader
with Dmitry Greku, Publisher/Editor, GWP Magazine.
DG: My guest in the July/August issue is Barry O'Farrell, NSW Opposition Leader. It's not a secret that the current economical situation is probably the worst in NSW in comparison to all other states. On the other hand, Sydney and NSW have arguably the best position to be the driving force of the Australian economy. My questions to Barry today will be about our chances to get back on track and a possible recovery plan of his Liberal Party.
Barry, first of all, thank you for your time which you don't have too much of at these difficult times for our state. Could you please tell us how confident you are of winning the State election, and can you see any danger or possibility of losing the next election? Are you and your team ready to govern?
BOF: I take nothing for granted and that's why the team and I are working hard.
The Liberal Party have only won from Opposition twice since it was formed in 1946. First, in 1965 and then in 1988. But I am determined to repeat the feat on 26 March 2011.
The party in office always has an advantage when facing an election - taxpayers' funds.
NSW Labor has never hesitated to spend millions of taxpayer-funded ads to try and make it look good - $116 million (up 20%) in the year leading up to the 2007 election - more than Coke, McDonalds and other large advertisers.
By the way, we have plans to stop this inappropriate use of taxes by empowering the Auditor General to send the bills to the relevant political party instead!
I'm confident my team has the experience and skill required to fix the State. I'm very proud of them, and it's a good blend of youth and experience across a range of backgrounds - business, nursing, policing, agriculture, finance and the law.
In treasury and finance, my team of Mike Baird and Greg Pearce has decades of experience in banking and corporate finance. It stands in stark contrast to the lack of experience Joe Tripodi and Eric Roozendaal bring to Labor's economic team.
DG: When you win the State election, what do you expect to be your most foremost concern in the beginning when you take over the debilitated NSW economy?
BOF: Our number one priority will be to return economic prosperity to NSW.
Without a strong economy, you can't have a strong community. Economic growth provides the jobs and living standards people rely upon; it provides the revenue for government to provide the basic services upon which people rely.
Our economic rebuilding program is two-fold: lower taxes and support growth. We need to make NSW competitive again for people to grow their businesses and for business investment.
Regrettably, Labor's tax policies have made Queensland and Victoria more attractive environments in which to do business.
The significance we place on growth is one of the reasons we have been advocating a 15% payroll tax cut to try and help businesses maintain their workforces during the current difficult economic conditions.
With two thirds of all the State's workers - two million people - working for companies liable for payroll tax, we thought a cut was a practical way to try and maintain jobs. Unfortunately the State Labor Government rejected the idea, and NSW continues to lose about 200 jobs a day under Nathan Rees' premiership.
I have a strong belief that lower taxes and a more attractive business environment will expand economic activity in NSW and will deliver increased revenues to government.
DG: The trains are overcrowded and the roads are clogged, surgery waiting lists are growing, emergency department performance dropping, NSW has a $42 billion debt, which is $6,000 per person and the list is endless. What are you going to do about these issues?
BOF: We are committed to delivering the quality services the community can rely upon.
We know the place to start to fix the State's problems is with better financial management and a greater focus on customers - those who use the services the NSW government provides.
We will restore financial discipline to the State's budget and in our "Planning for Prosperity" plan we have outlined an economic and fiscal framework for NSW. We know that without such an approach, decisions can be made that hurt, not help, the State's economy.
The need for such an approach was confirmed by the November 2008 mini-Budget and its decisions to raise taxes and charges and slash infrastructure spending at the same time as every other government was doing the opposite. In May, Access Economics confirmed those decisions have weakened the State's economic outlook.
We have outlined specific policies to address particular services.
For example, in health we intend to abolish Labor's massive area health services and replace them with smaller health districts oversighted by boards. These boards will again re-connect hospitals and clinics to local communities and allow health professionals to have a say in decision-making.
In transport we have announced we will establish an integrated transport planning authority to ensure the best option - not the most politically attractive - is chosen every time. By having an independent board oversighting a single co-ordinated transport agency we will guarantee delivery of better services and announced improvements.
DG: And finally, what would you like the people of NSW to know about you as a person?
BOF: That I share their values and experiences and am determined to put people first.
As a husband and parent, a motorist, occasional user of public transport, with a child at public school, a user of hospital services (thanks to having two boys!), I get to experience first hand Labor's failure to ensure services and infrastructure keep pace with community and industry needs.
With a grandfather who was a policeman (the other cleaned windows) and a father who spent twenty-seven years in the Army, I have strong public service ethic. I have enjoyed being a local MP because it enables me to help people. Being Premier will allow me to help even more!
Being an MP also brings you in touch with a diverse range of people. Whether at the football, visiting a school or business, or simply talking to bus commuters, you meet remarkable people doing incredible things. It always leaves me thinking "how much more could we achieve with a government that helped?" and that's what motivates me to win.
Walking Kokoda last year with my then 14-year-old son helped me reflect on why diggers gave their lives for us all. It made me determined to ensure the freedom and opportunity they wanted for us is protected and enhanced.
GWP Magazine Issue #25, July-August 2009Articles and any content can not be copied and/or displayed in any other applications; printed/web-based etc without the written permission of GWP Magazines.
