3 June | NSW Sitting Period Review
The New South Wales parliament has just concluded its latest two-week sitting period, punctuated by calls for higher-density housing and legislation introduced to freeze the pay of MPs and senior bureaucrats.
Labor’s bill protecting Sydney and Hunter Water from privatisation passed the lower house with the support of the Liberal Party, but not that of their junior Coalition partner, The Nationals. It was also reported by the Sydney Morning Herald that former Premier, Dominic Perrottet, is likely to leave Parliament before the end of 2023.
Finally, an endorsement from former Premier Gladys Berejiklian wasn’t enough to secure former Treasurer and Transport Minister, Andrew Constance, the vacant NSW Senate seat, replacing the late Jim Molan. Instead the position was won by former NSW Liberal Party President, Maria Kovacic, who was officially put forward by members of both the NSW Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council in a joint sitting on Wednesday.
Read below PremierNational's insights into these issues and more in our wrap-up of parliament this fortnight.
Planning Minister Paul Scully had put inner-city Sydney councils on notice ahead of the sitting period's opening on May 23, insisting they accept their "fair share" of new housing developments.
The Minister has introduced a new Housing and Productivity Contribution scheme under which developers can contribute to infrastructure (such as transport and schools) around greenfield projects.
The HPC will replace the Special Infrastructure Contribution framework and is set for introduction from 1 October.
To this end, the Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Housing and Productivity Contributions) Bill 2023 was introduced to the Legislative Assembly by the Planning Minister on the first sitting day of the fortnight and passed with a minor amendment on May 31.
Premier Chris Minns has previously supported creating high-density housing around existing transport corridors, a measure corroborated in a report released by the NSW Productivity Commission on May 31 which highlighted a lack housing being built in the areas of greatest need, including inner Sydney.
Minister Scully also introduced the First Home Buyer Legislation Amendment Bill 2023, following through on the government's promise to repeal the signature stamp duty reform enacted by the former Perrottet government.
The Minns government instead intends to raise the stamp duty exemption threshold from $650,000 to $800,000, and raise the concessions threshold from $800,000 to $1 million.
New South Wales MPs, MLCs and senior public servants will see their salaries frozen for at least two years as the government pursues its election promise.
The Parliamentary Remuneration Amendment Bill 2023 was introduced to the Legislative Council on May 30 by Special Minister of State and Deputy Leader of the Government in the Upper House, John Graham.
The bill was framed as a budget-saving measure by the premier and is forecast to save approximately $260 million over four years, for use in public services.
The wage freeze is not the only site for wage savings in the government's eyes, with the number of top-earning executive bureaucrats set to be cut by 15%.
Several topical questions were pursued in the Legislative Assembly this week, particularly with the Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism in the spotlight following the death of Clare Nowland, after the 95-year-old was Tasered by police.
Key themes included health, regional transport, the government's impending repeal of the First Home Buyers Choice scheme, native forestry logging, disaster recovery, health services and the public sector wage cap.
These were the themes government MPs faced most frequently in Question Time since May 23:
Housing: 6
Education (schools): 5
Health Services Union: 5
Cabinet Documents of the Former Government: 5
Health: 5
Police Enforcement: 4
Transport: 4
Energy and Energy Prices: 3
Regional Transport: 3
