The list of priorities Gladys Berejiklian unveiled shortly before being sworn in as NSW premier was at serious risk of being wholly unremarkable.
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Gladys Berejiklian's priorities as Premier
Gladys Berejiklian has made clear her plans as NSW's 45th Premier –- but can she pull them off?
Prodding the untamed beast of housing affordability, though, injected some spark, which has already made things interesting for the brand new premier.
Within days of taking the job, she has been under pressure over whether she wants the Commonwealth to pursue negative gearing reforms (not at this stage), at odds with Planning Minister Rob Stokes over the issue and under fire for stating there is no housing affordability "crisis".
![Gladys Berejiklian ... might have had her Bob Hawke moment.](/web/20170127013949im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/w/q/z/m/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtwls5.png/1485404813431.jpg)
All in all, it's probably not what Berejiklian was anticipating. But with the enormity and reach of the challenge, she had better get used to it.
Berejiklian often says one of her proudest achievements in politics so far was the Opal smartcard while transport minister, following its tortured and costly history under the Labor government.
There has been well-founded criticism of some aspects of its introduction, such as the reduction of the original incentives for frequent users, but no doubt millions of Sydneysiders remain grateful it has arrived.
Delivering the Opal card, however, is not a patch on the statement she made on Monday: "I want to make sure that every average, hard-working person in this state can aspire to own their own home".
![As prime minister, Bob Hawke promised no child would live in poverty by 1990.](/web/20170127013949im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/c/d/c/w/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtwls5.png/1485404813431.jpg)
It's already being compared to Bob Hawke's infamous 1987 election pledge that "by 1990 no Australian child will be living in poverty" – a promise that 20 years later he said described as "a silly shorthand thing" he regretted saying.
Unlike Hawke, Berejiklian has wisely not given herself a timeframe (other than presumably her time as premier) and carefully inserted the word "aspire" into her declaration.
Hawke's promise was also a bit easier to measure. The subjective words "average" and "hard-working" amount to a handy get out clause should things not go as hoped.
But with just over two years until the next state election, it's a statement sure to be tested by voters when considering whether or not to elect her as premier in 2019. She has ensured she will be judged on her progress for as long as she is in the job.
For those who have watched Berejiklian's progress since she entered Parliament in 2003, the boldness of the statement is surprising. A cautious operator, she has never been given to making rash pronouncements.
Yet, like any new political leader, she was under pressure to outline her values and goals.
As the daughter of working class migrant parents, highlighting the issue as a priority reinforces the idea that she understands the concerns and struggles of the average NSW voter trying to raise a family and put a stable roof over their head.
Berejiklian didn't leave home until she was almost 30. She bought a two-bedroom apartment on Mowbray Road, Willoughby for $275,000 in 1999.
But that aside, housing affordability was always going to be an issue for Berejiklian when she took over the Premier's office thanks to her time as treasurer.
Berejiklian came into the job amid a booming Sydney property market fuelled by record low interest rates that was – and still is –pouring billions of dollars a year in residential stamp duty receipts into NSW government coffers.
As treasurer, Berejiklian's political career benefited as the tax bonanza helped to deliver fat budget surpluses.
In two budgets, though, she failed to initiate major policy responses beyond topping up a modest infrastructure fund designed to support housing supply.
In this context, Berejiklian's success has come at the expense of the increasing number aspiring home owners in NSW terrified they might never get a foothold in the market. In other words, she owes them.
All of this is not to suggest that the new premier shouldn't be congratulated for taking on the housing affordability conundrum. She should and let's hope she has enormous success doing so.
But if not, we might be hearing a version of Hawke's lament.
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