Schools and hospitals are likely to be high profile issues in the state election in March next year, as the Labor opposition tries to use health and education as political weapons against the government’s controversial $2.5 billion plan to rebuild two Sydney stadiums. More than half of voters polled did not support the plan to demolish and rebuild Allianz Stadium in the city’s east and ANZ in the west. And 53.8 per cent felt the government was spending too much on major sporting infrastructure. When asked what the government should focus on, hospitals were the stand-out issue, with 46.7 per cent believing it should be the government’s greatest priority. Next was transport (21.2 per cent), followed by the environment (18.3 per cent) and schools (13.8).

When it came to the performance of the public health system, 45.3 per cent rated the level of care provided by the state’s hospitals as good or very good, and another 34.9 per cent said it was average. Only 6.2 per cent said it was very poor. More than 43 per cent of voters felt public schools were meeting the needs of the community, although 38.5 per cent responded that they did not know or were undecided. But preserving the character of suburbs was one of the biggest concerns for voters.

The Greater Sydney Commission, established in 2016 and chaired by former Sydney lord mayor Lucy Turnbull, says the city will need about 725,000 extra homes over the next 20 years to cope with a growing and ageing population. Sydney's population is expected to grow by about 1.74 million by 2036. Loading Planning Minister Anthony Roberts said the government was committed to retaining the character of suburbs while also dealing with a growing city. He said a new planning circular released last year outlined the requirement for local character statements to be developed with the community from the start of the planning process.

The first local character statements are being developed for St Leonards and Crows Nest and will be released in the coming weeks, Mr Roberts said. “Not only will this local character statement reflect the community’s aspirations for their area but will also address community concerns around density,” he said. “Engaging the community and stakeholders early in the planning process is central to creating vibrant, well-designed suburbs that retain a neighbourhood’s unique character.” The ReachTEL poll also shows the Coalition is leading Labor by 52 per cent to 48 per cent on a two-party preferred basis. The Coalition’s primary vote has recovered from 37.6 per cent in the last ReachTEL poll in October and is now at 41.9 per cent.