GRILLED at Sunday's COVID press conference about the departure of NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, health minister Brad Hazzard was adamant that politics would not change the roadmap out of lockdown for the state, arguing that any changes would be dictated only by the medical realities. Yet politics have been central to COVID-19 from vaccination procurement to the fallout of lockdowns and the policies that precede and enforce them.
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An established premier surely carries more clout than one who is finding their feet, particularly where the interests of NSW differ from those of the federal government and when there is no time to lose. There is no question that the Independent Commission Against Corruption's work is imperative, and Ms Berejiklian was right to concede she could not continue, Still, though, her successor will have to forge their own destiny in particularly trying circumstances.
That successor on Sunday appeared likely to be Dominic Perrottet, Rob Stokes, Stuart Ayres or Mark Speakman after NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance revealed he would bow out of Macquarie Street altogether in favour of a federal tilt.
Mr Constance's departure spells the end of a leadership that truly reconfigured the centre of Newcastle. Mr Constance and Ms Berejiklian oversaw the arrival of light rail on Hunter Street and the revitalisation that accompanied it. While Mr Stokes was quick to throw his hat into the ring, Mr Perrottet's position as treasurer made him the heir apparent long before any signal of his intentions. He also won the public endorsement of former Liberal Prime Minister John Howard over the weekend, who described him as interested in vital economic reform.
In something of an indictment on the gender balance within the government, no women were among the field of potential successors to Ms Berejiklian, the first female premier elected by NSW voters. That hypothetical field had also included Stuart Ayres.
As Mr Hazzard told reporters, these things are often decided before the party convenes to formalise their selection. Let us hope the Hunter's role in the new premier's leadership is not equally a fait accompli given the needs of Newcastle Airport, faster rail, the John Hunter upgrade, Newcastle's container terminal aspirations and the energy transition ahead. With the region's case numbers rising and the state's hibernation about to end, their first priority should be clear.