The six questions business leaders put to NSW Premier Chris Minns in Kiama
Read the full transcript from the Business Illawarra Q&A.
Business leaders put NSW Premier Chris Minns on the spot at a Business Illawarra–hosted forum at Kiama Pavilion on Monday, 25 August.
The event came ahead of the Kiama by-election, where Labor’s Katelin McInerney faces Kate Dezarnaulds (South Coast Community Independent Group), Serena Copley (Liberal), the Greens’ Tonia Gray and Shooters, Fishers and Farmers candidate Felix Nelson.
Representatives from the Housing Trust, BlueScope, Wollongong City Council, Shellharbour City Council and Jamberoo Action Park were among those who turned out to hear from the Premier and NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey.
While we could write a traditional story on this event, attempting to pull out the points we think you’ll find most interesting, we’ve decided, instead, to provide an edited transcript of the question and answer session.
We hope our readers find value in having a full view of the conversation, especially those who couldn’t attend due to the early Monday morning start.
We would love to hear your feedback on this format.
Cathryn Lyall, Kiama Business Network
Question:
"I know the visitor economy is super important here, but small businesses, particularly, are closing. The visitor economy is a great stimulus for us, but we've had funding cut to the Destination NSW program. My question is: when will businesses in rural and regional areas see an increase in funding and priority, given all the transport issues and challenges?"
Answer from NSW Premier Chris Minns:
"That’s a very reasonable question. Firstly, the state has the largest debt in its history, $200 billion. I was criticised last week because I said, 'Look, we’re building a lot of metros in Sydney, but I can’t promise another three or four metros.' Each costs $15–20 billion. I’m trying to get the state’s finances under control. Spending growth can’t continue as it did during COVID.
“We were also concerned we weren't getting bang for our buck in terms of Destination New South Wales spending, and we're looking at that entire sector. Whatever dollars we put in, we want to see economic growth and opportunity, particularly for the regions. “Where can we make an investment that we can see a massive multiplier, particularly for the South, and we recognise tourism as a massive opportunity to do just that.
Matt George, Jamberoo Action Park
Question:
"Western Sydney Airport is coming online in just over 12 months. The region’s transport connectivity to Western Sydney is dire, and every day it’s not developed is money that tourism businesses here miss out on.
Answer from NSW Treasurer, Daniel Mookhey:
“You're right to say it is transforming for the state if you get it right, and connectivity between Western Sydney Airport, Kiama and the Illawarra region [is something] we're thinking hard about. It does involve big funding decisions for road connections [and] we haven't ducked that part, which is why we're doing a little bit of work around that as well.
“I can't announce anything today, but other than to say you're dead right that Western Sydney Airport is not just about Western Sydney. It is about making sure that there's a thriving visitor economy in this region. I should say between now and the opening of Western Sydney Airport, we've got a lot of money set aside to boost tourism connections, particularly to make sure that we're getting new airlines in.
“One of the things we announced in the budget was take off fundst o make sure that we actually have more than one or two airlines landing there.
“One of the initiatives we just announced in the budget was to create what we call the Investment Delivery Authority, which is a workaround for a planning system for people who are looking to expand hotels and motels. One of the benefits of establishing the investment delivery authority is that it allows you to bring significant hotel projects through a streamlined pathway for quicker decision-making.
“And that's because we want to take advantage of the opportunities created by building the airport.”
Derek McMahon, from McMahons Transport
Question:
"Premier, the Housing Strategy is commendable, but you can’t build communities without jobs. We’ve had less than 2.5% industrial land in this LGA for years. My business has tried three times to get land rezoned — council staff recommended it, but councillors voted it down. Every industrial business in the community is behind us. What can you do to help us, and can I get some of your time to explain this in detail?"
Answer from NSW Premier, Chris Minns:
"I don’t know the local details, but I know this is a common pattern across the state whether it's a housing, whether it's for expansion of manufacturing or industry. That’s why we created the Investment Delivery Authority, which is meant to cut through the mountains of red tape that we've established in New South Wales.
“Can I also acknowledge to you that it's not this bad in other states. They're far more open to capital investment, they're far more open to enterprise, they look to firms like yours that have been around for 45 years and say, ‘How do we get to yes’, rather than The answer's no, back to the end of the pile.
Crystal Brandon, Shoalhaven Business Chamber
Question:
"My question is about mental health and drug and alcohol services in the Kiama electorate. Small businesses are struggling with workers’ compensation premiums, especially with 8–12 week waits for psychiatric assessments before claims are processed. We also heard that a lack of support is driving antisocial behaviour in the CBD. What are you doing to expand mental health services locally and reform iCare? And beyond building hospitals, will you commit to staffing them properly, especially with psychiatric support?"
Answer from Treasurer of NSW, Daniel Mookhey:
"We want to invest more in mental health, prevention, and drug and alcohol in Kiama as we do across all of New South Wales. But all our money is going to the wrong end of the spectrum. We are pumping billions into the crisis intervention end, particularly through our workers' compensation scheme.
“Sitting here as the treasurer, when you're seeing billions of public money and employer money that is not being well spent, this is part of the reason why we've said we've got to do this reform. I'm just going to be very straight with you. We can't switch the money if we leave the existing system on autopilot.
“If we do get that [reform] through, then you're quite right to say that we are in a better position to start investing in staffing levels.”
“We've been rolling out in partnership with the Nurses and Midwives Association, safe staffing levels across our hospitals. It hasn't reached every ward.
“It's why we've already hired 600 additional nurses just for that one policy. And by the end of next year, we will have hired roughly an additional 2,000 nurses across our hospitals. But you also make a good point about the rest of the staffing. That's also why we abolished the wage cap.
“We said that we want to abolish the wage cap so we can actually sit down and talk with our workforce and negotiate better pay and conditions. What does that lead to here in Kiama? Well, just last week, if you happen to be working in allied health, you might be an orderly or someone who cleans a hospital - you just got a 4 per cent pay rise.”
Josh Rowles, General Manager, Local Fire
Question:
“One of the key things that I spend a lot of my time doing is talking to unit owners, people who have saved quite a lot of money for a long period of time, and then having to spend additional money once they move in, repairing defects, rectifying their building.
“There's a new Building Act supposed to come in, and we're 12 months down the track, and it still hasn't been implemented in parliament. When is that coming?
Answer from NSW Premier, Chris Minns:
“I thought that the Building Commission did a really good job, particularly in its opening years, pushing out some of the shonky operators from the construction sector, but it did have an impact on supply. Now, you could argue, and I hope people do argue, they're the people we didn't want building apartments and houses for the future, but it knocked a strata out.
“Slowly, that's being filled in by builders moving from freestanding houses and residential townhouses to R3 and R2 level multi-story apartments. We want to see that progression, but we also want to see them do it by the book.
Coralie McCarthy, Business Illawarra
Question:
"We see ourselves here on the South Coast as one region, but with many towns and different council and federal boundaries. Big projects like the Wollongong Entertainment Centre matter to the visitor economy. How do we get traction on projects that catalyse regional growth?"
Answer from NSW Premier, Chris Minns:
"We're trying to do two things at the same time, be responsible with the budget while we invest in things that we regard as non-negotiable and health services and public schools are non-negotiable. So, in terms of the preference or order of needs, we've got to hit them first.
“We acknowledge that one-third of NSW’s population lives outside Sydney. We’ve already set aside funds for geo-technical work on the Entertainment Centre. We haven’t forgotten about it."