Three independent MPs who could become kingmakers in the event of a hung parliament have put climate change, and “future-proofing” the environment and economy, at the forefront of their agenda. Sydney’s Alex Greenwich, Lake Macquarie’s Greg Piper and Wagga Wagga’s Joe McGirr joined forces on Friday to call on the two major parties to commit to a 10-year adjustment strategy for coalmining communities, “backed by substantial financial resources to affected regions”.

“A transition away from coal is what the planet urgently needs but it requires planning to avoid social and economic impacts in mining regions,” they wrote in a letter to the New South Wales premier and opposition leader.

Polls have consistently suggested the main parties are locked in a dead heat, and a Coalition minority government is widely regarded as a likely outcome of the 23 March election.

Greenwich said that whatever the outcome, he would work with either of the major parties to deliver his priorities, with a strong focus on climate change and homelessness.

The Coalition has a six-seat majority in the lower house, and it holds six seats on margins of 3.2% or less. Polls have predicted a swing of between 4% and 5%.

“A swing between 3.2% and 6.7% would most likely produce minority government, but leave the Coalition with more seats than Labor,” according to ABC election analyst Antony Green, though he has noted the election is very difficult to predict given the number of very close, three-cornered contests.

Case dismissed

A last-minute legal challenge in the NSW supreme court by two members of the Greens to try to change the party’s upper house ticket has failed. On Friday afternoon, a judge dismissed the case. The issue of who should hold the crucial second spot on the ballot has been a flash point in factional tensions within the party since Jeremy Buckingham was asked to stand aside as a candidate last November.

Supporters of the action, taken by members Chris Harris and Lindsay Johnston, were trying to force a recount of preselection ballots, which they hoped would elevate MLC Dawn Walker, an ally of Buckingham, into the winnable second position. Buckingham, who announced his own independent group ticket on Friday, was present in the public gallery for part of the lengthy hearing.

The co-convenor of Greens NSW, Rochelle Flood, welcomed the decision and a party spokesman confirmed by the end of the day that the ticket had been lodged with the NSW Electoral Commission with Walker in third position, behind David Shoebridge and Abigail Boyd. Harris said they were disappointed with the decision, “but the fact that the democratic wishes of 780 members were still ignored needs to be addressed by the Greens in the future”.

Key promises this week

The Coalition pledged to deliver 100,000 new Tafe and VET courses, and to build a new $80m Tafe in western Sydney. Labor has already promised free Tafe courses in skills-shortage areas, as well as 600,000 free courses over the next decade.

Labor also unveiled its environmental policies this week, including plans to bring in a renewable energy target of 50% by 2030, and pledged to hold a climate change summit in its first year in office to develop a plan to get the state to net zero emissions by 2050.

Four new employment precincts will be created in NSW under a promise from the Coalition, including an “innovation and technology” hub anchored by Atlassian, between Central and Eveleigh in Sydney.

Labor has said it will end no-fault evictions for renters in its first 100 days of government, and work with the industry to implement new five-year leases.

Perennial secret weapon on hold?

Only a month ago, the Sunday Telegraph reported that John Howard would be joining Gladys Berejiklian on the campaign trail, with the paper reporting on the former prime minister as being the premier’s “secret weapon”. Howard has become a fixture of some state Liberal campaigns, joining the trail with both the victorious South Australian team and unsuccessful Victorian team in 2018.

John Howard has become a fixture of some state Liberal campaigns but his presence at the current one is not certain. Photograph: Jono Searle/AAP

But after it was reported this week that Howard had provided a glowing character reference for George Pell in the aftermath of his conviction on child sexual assault charges, the premier declined to say whether Howard would be joining her.

Asked at a media conference on Thursday whether she would accept Howard’s help, Berejiklian replied: “I won’t give away what we’re planning to do in the next few weeks, except to say that my absolute preoccupation is to provide our plans for the future of NSW, our positive plans.”

Remember Eddie?

One day before going into caretaker mode, the government announced it would seek to recoup $7.9m spent defending Independent Commission Against Corruption officials against failed court action by the former minister Eddie Obeid and members of his family. Obeid was jailed in 2016 for up to five years, a fact the Coalition government seems keen to remind the public of as the election approaches. The treasurer, Dominic Perrottet, used the announcement to argue the “story of Labor’s corruption in NSW is not ancient history – it is a current affair, and we want this money back so it benefits the community”.

Days earlier, another former minister of the previous government, also jailed for misconduct, made headlines. Ian Macdonald had his conviction overturned on appeal on Monday, leading to the former resources minister walking free from Sydney’s Silverwater prison. Macdonald was sentenced to up to 10 years in jail in 2017 over the granting of a mining licence in the Hunter Valley to a company run by a former union boss without a competitive tender. He declared himself “absolutely” innocent on Monday and will face a retrial.

Mardi Gras presence

Politicians from a range of parties are gearing up to join the Mardi Gras parade in Sydney on Saturday night. The Liberal contingent this year includes Coogee MP Bruce Notley-Smith and MLCs Don Harwin and Shayne Mallard. The Labor leader Michael Daley and MLC Penny Sharpe will march with their party’s float, and there will also be a sizeable contingent of Greens MPs. Greenwich will continue his tradition of riding the parade route with lord mayor Clover Moore in the back of a convertible.

But not everyone is happy to see the two major parties in the parade. The protest group No Pride in Detention will also march – under the slogan “Homos against ScoMo” – to protest against the bipartisan policy of offshore detention and to highlight the plight of LGBTI refugees. The group has some crossover with another activist group, Pride in Protest, which failed in its push last year to get the Liberals and NSW police banned from the parade.

One day before this year’s parade, it was revealed the Coalition government had pledged $3m towards the establishment of Australia’s first LGBTIQ health centre in partnership with the health organisation Acon, starting with $500,000 for a feasibility study. Labor has upped that commitment, pledging $4.2m to establish a NSW Pride health and community centre, in a building provided by Inner West council. Acon welcomed both parties’ commitments, saying “we are grateful for this bipartisan support for the health and wellbeing of our communities”.