NSW Opposition Leader Peter Debnam, Shadow Minister for Health Jillian Skinner, and Shadow Minister for Women and Youth Affairs Catherine Cusack today released a families policy package to address issues impacting on families across all portfolios. 

“We need to fix NSW to improve the way of life for families in this state,” Mr Debnam said.

“Whether it’s blowouts in hospital emergency ward waiting times, housing affordability plummeting, inability to get access to pre-school education, or traffic congestion and slower rail journeys robbing working mums and dads of time with their children, families have been on the front line of Labor’s failure over 12 years,” he said.

“As Premier, I will listen and be accountable to families. Labor has stopped listening to the community, and stopped listening to families. Labor is caught in a cycle of denial. And when you can’t admit a problem, you can’t fix one.

“Specifically, the NSW Liberal/Nationals Government will:

• Establish a Special Premier’s Families Advisory Panel, comprising community representatives and frontline service providers to advise the Premier on issues impacting on families;

• Introduce an Annual Families Report Card as part of the budget process to consider and respond to the impact of government policies on NSW families; and,

• Break down the barriers between government department and agencies by bringing together a new single Department of Family and Community Services that delivers frontline services including housing, disability services, child protection, and aged care.

“We need to make sure that every taxpayer dollar does its job to support families in this state.

“The Families Report Card will help us deliver on this commitment by honestly assessing whether government policies have improved the conditions for families across a range of measures including lifestyle, tax, and wellbeing.

“Families are the bedrock of our community and I will provide them with a better way of life. When I talk with families across NSW, they say life is harder now after 12 years of Labor.

“Whether it’s because families are spending longer in their car or on the train getting to and from work, whether it’s higher fees or inability to access preschool education, or simply struggling to pay the rent or buy a home, Labor is to blame.

“Our Annual Families Report Card will examine the impact of government policies on:

• Family time and relationships;

• Affordable cost of living;

• Family health and wellbeing;

• Support and protection for families in crisis;

• Safety and security for family life;

• Providing the best possible start in life;

• Opportunities for families to get ahead;

• Facilities for growing families and communities;

• Access to services for rural and regional families; and,

• Sustainability for future generations; 

Mrs Skinner said families constantly express concern about the systemic failures in the NSW health system.

“Our team will give parents greater peace of mind that our hospitals can treat their families and loved ones when they need it with additional funding for more nurses and higher standards,” Mrs Skinner said.

“We’ll give families greater support through additional mental health services and faster and easier access to public dental treatment.

“In country areas, we’ll help families by enabling them to choose the health specialists they need with financial assistance for travel and accommodation and boosting the number of GP surgeons, obstetricians and anaesthetists.”

Ms Cusack said our children will get a better start through early intervention policies to improve access and lower fees for preschools and breaking the youth crime cycle to get troubled kids back on the tracks.

“We’ll end Labor’s ‘softly-softly’ approach to youth crime and anti-social behaviour to encourage greater parental responsibility, as well as recruiting 1,720 new police.”

Mr Debnam said the NSW Liberal/Nationals will also lower the burden of tax and improve housing affordability by increasing the first homeowners grants and cutting payroll and land tax.

“After 12 years, Labor’s had long enough to improve the livelihoods of families. It’s time to get on with the job of fixing NSW,” Mr Debnam said.

“As the campaign goes on we are also seeing Morris Iemma and Labor become increasingly cocky. Imagine how cocky he, Michael Costa, Joe Tripodi and Frank Sartor will be if re-elected.  Families in NSW will just not get a look in,” he said.