NSW PREMIER GLADYS BEREJKILIAN ADDRESS TO MENZIES RESEARCH CENTRE – 28 JUNE 2019

THE ESSENCE OF A MODERN LIBERAL GOVERNMENT

We've opened a brand new stadium in Western Sydney, ushering in a new era for sport and entertainment;

We've completed the new 5.5 kilometre M4 road tunnels, connecting Homebush and Haberfield, reducing travel times for motorists by by-passing 22 sets of traffic lights;

We've opened 5 new schools - part of a program of 190 schools currently being built or upgraded;

We've topped out the main Acute Services Building at Westmead Hospital - a billion dollar redevelopment that is just one of 100 health projects currently in progress;

We've expanded our cost of living measures to include gas in our Energy Switch service - which is already helping households save an average of $400 per year;

And we've opened the North West Metro - Australia's first metro - and the first stage of the biggest public transport project in Australian history.

to set out an agenda and make the case for change;

to make the decisions required to invest in the future; and

to stare down the noisy minority who are never satisfied.

Deliver a strong economy, quality jobs and job security for workers of today and tomorrow;

Provide the highest quality education no matter where a person lives or what their circumstances may be;

Create well-connected communities and quality local environments;

Make government work better for people by putting the customer at the centre of everything we do;

And break the cycle of intergenerational disadvantage by addressing social issues that have been in the too-hard basket for too long.

First, cementing NSW as a global leader in providing exceptional customer service to our citizens;

Second, lifting education outcomes to prepare a flexible and skilled workforce to help accelerate our economic growth;

And third, tackling intractable social challenges that impact so profoundly on people's lives.

One of the great challenges for any liberal leader is to reflect on, and remain true to, the values that inspired them to enter public office.Because often in politics, and especially in government, the choices that align with those values can seem like the more difficult ones.The 24-hour news cycle, and real-time community engagement through technology and social media, has made that challenge - to remember, and remain true to, our values - even more acute. So, thank you to the Menzies Research Centre, which has been a leading light of thought leadership in the liberal tradition, for affording me the opportunity to address you today.I stand here today on the verge of 100 days into our historic third term in NSW, more convinced than ever that the values of liberalism - applied and adapted for our time - provide the best framework for governing the people of our great state.Liberal values provide the framework for a modern liberal government under which every person, irrespective of their background or circumstances, has the opportunity to reach their full potential.And, for a Liberal Government, equality of opportunity is absolutely non-negotiable.A modern liberal government ensures that the rights of individuals are respected but acknowledges the benefits of strong communities.So it seeks to balance competing individual rights in circumstances where state involvement is required.A modern liberal government encourages innovation and enterprise by reducing the burden of bureaucracy and taxation but recognises that there are some things that the state must continue to do.So it cements government's primary role as an enabler with its responsibility to ensure that every individual, business and community organisation has the opportunity to be their best.And a modern liberal government, recognising that our communities - and their expectations of government - are always evolving, puts people - its citizens - at the heart of every decision it makes. To outline where we are heading during our historic third term, it is important to reflect on what we have achieved to date.Under Labor, NSW was the worst performing state in Australia.Labor left us with average deficits of $3.7 billion; an unemployment rate that was equal to, or above, the national average for 63 of its last 68 months in office; an infrastructure backlog of $30 billion; and had become a government whose self-obsession resulted in some of the darkest chapters in our state's history.Consequently, the first two terms of our Government were about cleaning up the mess we inherited, fixing the budget and economy, kick starting jobs growth and our infrastructure pipeline, and restoring faith in government.Since we came to office, we have worked tirelessly to bring NSW back from the brink - back from underperforming the rest of Australia and restoring it to its rightful place as the strongest state in the nation.We have brought the budget well and truly back in to the black, eliminated government net debt and secured our Triple A credit rating, making NSW one of only 5 sub-national jurisdictions in the world with the highest possible credit rating from both Moody's and S&P. Our unemployment rate is the lowest in the nation, and earlier this year unemployment reached the lowest level in NSW since records began, helping to drive the creation of over 100,000 jobs in the first five months of this year alone - double the number of jobs created in all the other states and territories combined.These strong fundamentals have enabled us to grow the economy, cut taxes to the tune of $5 billion since 2015, encourage investment and innovation; cut back office costs to put more resources back into front line services. At the same time, we have undertaken one of the most ambitious asset recycling programs in the world, to help deliver the biggest infrastructure program in Australian history.This asset-recycling program has not only resulted in record up-front capital to invest in new infrastructure, it has also grown our state's net worth to record levels of more than a quarter of a trillion dollars.Of course, asset recycling is not the whole story, but it is an important part of it.The total value received by NSW as a result of our asset recycling program is around $40 billion - funds that have allowed us to use the capital up front to turbocharge our infrastructure program.A program that is already changing the way we live, work and connect with one another - with more than $130 billion invested since 2011, and $93 billion more to come over the next four years.To put this in to context, the Federal Government will be investing $100 billion in infrastructure over the next 10 years - while, in NSW, our program invests $93 billion over just four!For NSW, this will mean a legacy of public transport and roads, schools and hospitals, and sporting and cultural infrastructure the length and breadth of our state.The people of NSW now own more than ever before - and crucially, the assets they own are good, productive infrastructure that will drive our economy and improve our quality of life for decades to come.We've worked hard on these economic reforms, because as liberals, we know that while noble political intentions are universal, what distinguishes a modern liberal government is to have the means - the strong economy and the strong budget - to improve the lives of our citizens, and the opportunities available to them.And there is no doubt that NSW leads the nation in providing opportunities for our citizens, and for those in other states and territories, too.Because, when NSW is strong, Australia is strong.And under a Liberal government, NSW has resumed its rightful place as the nation's head office, and the driver of innovation and enterprise.A place where anyone can work hard and aspire for a better life for themselves, and their families.The milestones we have marked in the first 100 days since the March election are the culmination of the hard work of our first two terms and provide a glimpse of our ambitious third term agenda.In the first 100 days of our third term:That project - Sydney Metro - is a case study in how a good government makes bold decisions and then makes them happen.A project that had been promised countless times before by Labor but was finally planned, funded and delivered by a modern liberal government - on time and under budget.In the first month alone, more than 1.8 million customer journeys have been taken on the Metro and at least 20 thousand cars have been removed from our roads, slashing costs and reducing travel times and congestion.The North West Metro - the first stage of our four stage Metro program - is a project that highlights the fact that, in NSW, its taken a modern liberal government:Our third term agenda will build upon the unstoppable momentum you can feel in NSW right now.A momentum underpinned by strong economic fundamentals, a transformative infrastructure pipeline and quality services which are creating greater opportunities for our citizens.We want to capitalise on this moment which is why, shortly after the March election, the Deputy Premier and I made clear that this term, our five priorities will be to:These five priorities will build on our track record but also place a new focus in our third term on three critical areas which will take our state to the next level, by:First, in relation to customer service, if we are serious that the citizen, or the customer, is at the heart of everything we do, we need to make the customer our central focus across every single part of government, no matter where they live or what their circumstances may be.In the past few years, we have seen dramatic improvements in how individuals interact with our Government through Service NSW, where citizens can now conduct more than 850 transactions in one place, in person or online.Compare that to when we came to office, where a person attempting to engage with government was forced to navigate more than 900 websites and more than 8000 phone numbers.Now, there is one website and one phone number for every single one of your interactions with government.In the past, renewing a car licence would take hours…Now, that process takes just minutes, and will be quicker still with NSW licences now going digital!But even having done all of this, when it comes to improving the Government's customer service, we've only been touching the sides.Now, in a sign of our appetite for reform in this area, immediately following the election, we consolidated 10 major departments into eight, including the establishment of a Customer Service department, a central agency along Premier & Cabinet and Treasury.This new area is tasked with accelerating these improvements to customer service, working to make the entire back office of government more efficient, and using data to achieve better outcomes.Innovation in government services is now core business.We are already working to make best use of new technologies such as AI and virtual reality, driven by new customer-centric concepts, behavioural insights and data to inform whole of government service delivery.For too long, government services had been designed around what works best for the government.That has changed under a modern liberal government.Of course, any conversation about opportunity needs to have education at the heart of it.That's why one of our key priorities for this third term is to provide the highest quality education no matter where you live or what your circumstances may be.Right now, our investment in public education is the greatest our state has ever seen, but we need to continue working hard to ensure that additional investment is matched by improved education outcomes.That's why, earlier this month, I announced that every student across NSW will have the opportunity to accelerate their learning and study at higher levels, under a plan to lift academic performance at all public schools.And it's why, to help students lift their academic performance and reach their full potential, we established a program, Bump It Up, as a trial in 137 schools that had the greatest potential for lifting literacy and numeracy standards.Bump It Up has already lifted academic performance significantly, with more than a quarter of the first 137 schools achieving their targets in the first year alone.As a result, we have in the last 100 days, decided to expand Bump It Up statewide, and stretch our targets for how many students we would like to see in the top two bands for literacy and numeracy.Of course, quality education also includes working more closely with industry to drive higher standards in our tertiary education and skills institutions - to help us create a dynamic and flexible workforce, able to adapt to the ever-changing external environment and access lifelong learning opportunities.All of which means more opportunities for our citizens and our state.This term, there will be no better practical example of this than the development of theAerotropolis - the city around the new airport at Badgery's Creek.The Aerotropolis will include an advanced manufacturing and industrial hub, creating 200,000 jobs in the fastest-growing industries of the future.Alongside an enhanced skills and tertiary education sector, it will drive skills and jobs growth across the state, giving NSW citizens the edge, well in to the future.This is the kind of visionary development that a modern liberal government drives and delivers.The core liberal value of equality of opportunity means breaking the cycle of intergenerational disadvantage, and addressing problems that have been in the too-hard basket for too long.We have found that once you elevate an issue within government - to make it an official priority of the Premier - you can shift the dial on problems which previously proved intractable.For instance, during the last term, reforming the child protection system, including working to deliver permanency for children and support for vulnerable families was a key Premier's Priority.The positive trends in that area have been inspiring, although there is still much more to do.This week, as part of new Premier's Priorities, I wanted to include areas of social challenge where I believe government can make a real and lasting difference.The new Premier's Priorities include a priority to increase, by 50% by 2023, the number of Aboriginal students finishing year 12 while maintaining their cultural identity.It is shocking that currently only 30% of Aboriginal students complete year 12 - and we're taking action to change that.The new Premier's Priorities also includes a priority to see the rate of suicide decline toward zero, with a target to reduce suicide deaths in NSW by 20% by 2023.Achieving this target will mean that we save more than 170 lives and, of course, ultimately, we want to go as far as possible in eliminating this tragic loss of life.Currently, it is a sad reality that more than two people a day in NSW lose their life to suicide - and this must change.The new Premier's Priorities also include a priority to reduce recidivism in the prison population, with a target to reduce the number of people reoffending after they leave prison by 5% by 2023.Not only will this reduce crime and increase community safety; better community based support for people who leave prison will provide them with far better prospects of genuine rehabilitation.These are the kind of challenges, supported by strong economic fundamentals, that a modern liberal government is prepared and equipped to take on, areas where we can make significant and lasting positive change.It has been almost fifty years since a Liberal led Coalition Government has been reelected for a third consecutive term in NSW.The Askin Government re-elected at the 1971 state election - with just a one seat majority - showed that a Liberal government could achieve longevity in what had traditionally been considered a Labor state.The Greiner / Fahey Government - elected to office in 1988 - showed how inspiring, reformist and progressive a Liberal Government could be, although regrettably, their time in office, particularly with majority government, was all too short.Re-elected for a third consecutive term, just 100 days ago, I hope that our Government has demonstrated that a reformist and progressive government can also achieve longevity in the great State of NSW.Today, I want to reaffirm our commitment to our citizens, that we will continue to govern in the true liberal tradition.That is, to govern for every person in NSW by being a competent, compassionate and progressive Government.A Government that never has seen, and never will see, the world through the narrow cast view of our opponents - the once great NSW Labor Party that has held government in NSW for around two-thirds of the period since World War II - the same Labor Party that has completely missed and misunderstood the changing nature of our people.The 2019 state and federal election results demonstrate a Labor Party that is philosophically broken - paralysed by its adherence to values that no longer resonate with the majority of people in NSW.Labor has ignored the seismic shift that has occurred in NSW - the fact that the battlelines of class warfare which they have been trumpeting for decades have given way to the values of hard work, respect and aspiration.Where Labor once lay exclusive claim to represent working people, it is now us - the modern Liberal Party, with our exceptional record of job creation - that is the natural party of the worker, and for all those who want to have a go.Labor fails to understand that it doesn't matter where you're from, or where you work - what matters are your hopes and aspirations, for you and your family, and the opportunities you have to achieve what is important to you.These are the values that I grew up with, and they are the same values that drew me to the Liberal Party.The values that allowed me, as the daughter of immigrants, the daughter of a boiler maker and a nurse, to become the Premier of NSW.For the liberal movement to remain relevant to, and representative of, the majority of people in NSW, we need to resist the urge to become complacent, and continue to challenge outdated assumptions about who our party in NSW represents - and what our party stands for.Today, we are the Party who understands that a strong budget and strong economy is the means by which governments have the ability make positive change, and unleash confidence and innovation.We are the Party that oversees record job creation, rewards effort, and reduces cost of living pressures, to provide genuine equality of opportunity for every citizen.We are the Party that has the courage to govern for the silent majority and will not be steered off course by the noisy minority whose voices have become louder in the digital age.And we are the Party that, at its core, understands that the equality of opportunity we strive to achieve for our citizens connects deeply with their hopes and aspirations for the future - a future in which NSW is held up as an example around the world of just how much a modern Liberal government can help its people achieve.The third term agenda of my government is bold and ambitious, but NSW deserves no less.As a modern Liberal Government, we are motivated every day by the one ambition: to ensure that no matter your circumstances or your background, if you work hard, your greatest chance of being your best and having the best life possible for yourself and your family is right here, in NSW.Thank you.