Gladys Berejiklian smiles at a press conference on Monday. Credit:Daniel Munoz "That's something that I valued and worked hard to do and I want to make sure that everyone else has that opportunity as well." Ms Berejiklian was speaking at her first media conference after being unanimously elected Liberal leader by her party room on Monday and before being sworn in as NSW premier. She outlined her government's key priorities as local infrastructure, such as schools and hospitals, housing affordability and a strong economy. Quizzed about how she would approach the housing affordability question, Ms Berejiklian did not offer specific policy solutions but rather said she would be outlining initiatives "in the near future".

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Treasurer Dominic Perrottet. Credit:Daniel Munoz Ms Berejiklian was speaking alongside Finance Minister Dominic Perrottet, who was elected deputy Liberal leader on Monday and is expected to become Treasurer in a reshuffle. Mr Perrottet has advocated scrapping residential stamp duty in favour of a broad-based land tax as one affordability solution. Asked about this, Ms Berejiklian said it was "not my preference." Ms Berejiklian said housing supply was "the best way to address housing affordability" but that the government "needs to do more".

"That is the biggest issue people raise with me in Sydney; it's the biggest concern people have across the state," she said. However, she also pledged to be "open-minded and seeking advice of people outside the government, outside the bureaucracy, outside elected officials to support us in that". In a prepared speech, Ms Berejiklian outlined two major influences that will determine the type of premier she will be: her Armenian migrant parents and public education. Ms Berejiklian's father, Krikor, was a boilermaker who worked on the Sydney Opera House; her mother, Arsha, a nurse. "They made us believe we could be anything we aspired to be," Ms Berejiklian said, referring to herself and her two sisters. "That's certainly what I bring to the job today."

On public education, Ms Berejiklian noted that while she was born in Sydney, when she started school she couldn't speak English. She paid tribute to her teachers who "saw something in me and encouraged it". "That's why you'll have, in me, the strongest supporter of [the Gonski education funding reforms]," she said. "Because I know what a public education can do for somebody. And if I didn't have access to that education, I wouldn't be standing here today". Ms Berejiklian, who is single and has no children, was asked how prepared she was for questions such as those put to former prime minister Julia Gillard.

"I say, take me as you see me," she said. "I'm someone who's always been myself. Not all of us can plan how our life turns out. I'm a very happy person. "The closest people in my life are my family. I'm not going to judge anybody on their personal circumstances. I'm here to govern for everybody. And I hope that people judge me on my merits and on what I can do." Ms Berejiklian has been reviewing some of the Baird government's more contentious policies. It is unclear which policies are in the spotlight but those that have caused controversy include forced council amalgamations, lockout laws for licensed premises and the proposed privatisation of the Land and Property Information service. Ms Berejiklian said she was comfortable with the current situation with the lockout laws.

On council mergers, she said she was open to discussions with the nationals, who are pushing to halt further amalgamations. On fresh policy directions, Ms Berejiklian said: "there are some things that I would like to talk to my colleagues about. "To suggest that everything's on the table wouldn't be an accurate description, but to suggest that I would listen on issues that obviously are causing angst for people – of course I will do that." Ms Berejiklian would not be drawn on a forthcoming reshuffle but said appointments would be made "on merit". Labor leader Luke Foley said that Ms Berejiklian would inherit the premiership at a time of immense challenge and called on her to divert more of the state's surpluses toward key services.

"The key services that the people of NSW rely on for a good life are failing, particularly our health system," he said. "If we can't build the schools we need now when the rivers of gold from the Sydney property boom are flowing into the state's coffers, when can we?" Loading He also called on Ms Berejiklian to consider a broader range of policy responses to housing affordability. "She's been the person in the government who's stubbornly insisted that boosting supply is the only tool to tackle housing affordability," he said. "It's not; it isn't working."