NSW in best position to tackle housing affordability: Treasurer

 

NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet will soon deliver his inaugural budget with a major focus on housing affordability and continuing economic growth and investment in NSW. We asked the Treasurer to outline his major priorities, approach to housing affordability and what the upcoming budget may bring. 

 

What are the three top priorities that as Treasurer you want to achieve by the next election? 

Firstly, I am committed to continuing the strong economic and financial legacy that both Mike Baird and Gladys Berejiklian have left, because unless we get the finances right, and unless our economy is humming, we cannot build NSW into the great state it should be for every NSW citizen.

I’m also passionate about making sure our government and the services we provide are designed around what citizens need, not around what is convenient for government.  As Finance Minister, that was a real focus of our reforms with Icare and Service NSW – it’s about re-thinking the way we deliver services so we are meeting people where they are in the most convenient ways.

My number one priority, however, is making sure that every single thing we do as a government – every taxpayer dollar we spend – is done to make people’s lives better. It is so important to remember that beyond the numbers and the budgets and the economic data, the only reason we are in this job is to serve the people of our great state.

 

Housing affordability is a major issue in NSW at the moment – what are some of the state economic levers that can be pulled to address this issue? 

We have worked incredibly hard since 2011 to take the NSW economy from last to first, and today our state is leading the country in most key economic indicators, including business investment, unemployment rate, and economic growth. 

We have a balanced budget, our expenses are under control, and there is almost zero net debt, and we are funding a record $73.2 billion infrastructure program, which is one of the most important drivers of the state’s economy now and into the future.

This all puts us in the best possible position to address the big challenges, like housing affordability, which is a key priority for our government.  We have already made huge inroads in increasing housing supply and building new infrastructure to support it, and that will go a significant way to alleviating pressure on house prices. But we are also exploring a range of other options, and we have former RBA Governor Glenn Stevens on board to lend his expertise as well, so we will have more to say on all of that very soon.

 

Your inaugural speech was framed by your ideals; namely sacrifice, generosity, freedom, and the importance of opportunity ; how have these ideals led your approach to policy making and political  life so far and how will they continue to  colour your approach? 

As Treasurer, I want NSW to be the best state in the best country in the world – the best place to work, the best place to live and the best place to raise a family.  There’s no doubt the values of sacrifice, generosity, freedom and opportunity that inspire me as an elected representative also shape my work as Treasurer.  

 

The NSW State Budget is just around the corner, what can we expect from your first budget?

While I can’t go into a great deal of detail at this point, I can say this will be a budget that continues our strong legacy of sound financial stewardship, while making sure our state’s economic successes are being shared in every community and every family across NSW.