Honi Soit

state afloat during the pandemic. Nurses and midwives demanded reasonable staff-to-patient ratios to control workloads with workers facing severe burnout, and in some cases, symptoms similar to PTSD. Transport workers went on strike to fight for a pay rise above inflation rates, safer working conditions, and an end to privatisation.

In response, the government has shown a firm anti-worker stance. They’ve openly displayed hostility towards unions, with the current Premier threatening striking workers with increased fines and characterising strikes more broadly as “unreasonable.” They have condemned striking workers for disrupting the smooth flow of the state’s operations.

What the government fails to see is that strikes are meant to be disruptive and protest against their failure to support working communities. In fact, there is nothing easy about working or living in New South Wales in the first place. Driven by record-high inflation and stagnant wages, the cost of living crisis leaves many families struggling to put food on the table. Students are having to choose between getting an education and buying the bare necessities. This is in an environment where corporations are raking in record profits during the COVID pandemic.

many struggling to find a home, or without one at all. Rental rates continue to soar, with units increasing 17.6% and 14.6% for houses in the past year. The National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS) set up by the Rudd Government to subsidise rentals for low-income households is coming to a close, with a proposal to build 30,000 houses over the next five years insufficient to match demand.

Though housing affordability is obviously a national issue, it is particularly pressing for our state.

From the 2016 census, 38,000 people were homeless in New South Wales, and in the past five years the monthly number of people accessing homelessness services increased by 8%. The NSW state government has shown no willingness to adequately address this issue by excluding statefunded social housing in its COVID recovery plans; their plans are limited to demolishing existing public housing for more land, and sold to generate funds.

Instead of funding projects for the public good, the government has sought a policy of privatisation. Though the Premier has pledged not to privatise any more state assets, documents indicate that the Coalition has surveyed the possibility of privatising Sydney Water. In the past, the Berejiklian government privatised a low cost, high-profit project for construction companies. Sydney is the most tolled city in the world.

In all facets, the government has consistently shown an inability to meet the needs of people in our state.

Beyond their failure to provide adequate support, the government has been riddled with scandals and corruption. The NSW Coalition has a history of pork barrelling, with the sports rorts affair involving millions poured into wealthy sports clubs whilst public schools and smaller clubs were without basic equipment. Since 2014, the government has been working with the Transport Asset Holding Entity (TAHE) to shift billions onto a shell company to cover up budget deficits. Apart from these scandals, the government has presided over a police force which has misused their strip search powers, and continuing antiprotest sentiments and policies.

It’s been a long twelve years. This article touches on only some of the govenment’s suite of failures. The sheer extent of privitisation, corruption, and austerity under this government is overwhelming.

Our criticism of the Coalition is not to prop up the Labor Party, or the Greens. Labor in particularly, is offering a weak set of solutions to the serious issues facing NSW. Whoever wins the election