Steve Whan with campaign workers on election day 25 March 2023. Photo: Steve Whan Facebook.
Of course, Andrew Barr would be happy that his Labor Party colleague Chris Minns won government in the NSW election on the weekend.
Not only did it end 12 years of conservative rule in our surrounding state, but it also completed an incredible sea of red across mainland Australia, with every state and territory and the Commonwealth now ruled by Labor.
Only Tasmania is holding out.
As Andrew Barr said this week, in theory, it should make it easier for Australia as a nation to agree on a path forward on a whole range of issues.
But what Mr Barr and his colleagues will be feeling a tad nervous about is the promise from Mr Minns that he will remove the salary cap on public service wages in NSW. The cap has been identified as a major reason NSW can’t attract more nurses, teachers and other public servants.
Mr Minns made no secret on the weekend that he will be aggressive in recruiting the teachers and nurses his state needs. And, of course, that will put extra pressure on the ACT, which has not only been struggling for some time to hold on to its own teachers and nurses, but has also found it almost impossible to attract new staff.
Steve Whan, who completed a remarkable comeback to win the seat of Monaro he lost 12 years ago for the Labor Party, was unapologetic when asked about the prospect of NSW, and schools and hospitals in his electorate in particular, poaching ACT public servants.
They’ve done it to us plenty of times, Mr Whan said.
Mr Barr and his Education Minister Yvette Berry hope the Commonwealth will step in to ensure the states and territories, as Ms Berry noted, don’t “cannibalise” each other. But Mr Minns has been very specific. His union supporters are already looking for their reward, and if that means dining out on some of the ACT’s finest public servants, so be it.
Mr Barr believes the ACT can remain competitive. He also believes for most public servants, it won’t just come down to money. Lifestyle will be a major factor, and it’s not cheap to move, especially if there is a chance the contracts might only be short term.
Where Mr Barr might have more joy is in renegotiating the cross-border agreement with NSW. He said he had a good working relationship with the outgoing premier, Dominic Perrottet, which even included approval to move the ACT border.
But he said there are several issues he is looking forward to discussing with the new NSW Premier, including public transport.
He has identified the train from Sydney to Canberra as one priority and believes sitting down with a like-minded leader might get things moving a little faster, including (literally) the train.
He is also expecting a much more beneficial partnership on health issues.
A recent report showed about 20,000 NSW residents accessed ACT health services over a 12-month period, while less than 4000 ACT residents sought treatment in NSW facilities.
We all know the enormous strain the ACT health service is under. Can two politicians working under the same flag find a solution?
I guess it will depend on how many of our public servants they steal.
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