THE NSW government’s senior representative in the Hunter says Mike Baird was a “genuine champion” for Newcastle and admits he’s “a little bit concerned” the Premier’s resignation will see the focus shift away from the region.
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Scot MacDonald, the Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter, said he was “shocked and saddened” when he heard that Mr Baird had pulled the pin on his parliamentary career on Thursday, and questioned how the region would fare without the Premier’s backing around the cabinet.
“I guess a fair question to ask now is will the Hunter get the same love and attention as it has under Mike Baird,” Mr MacDonald said.
“I think Mike was very generous about [the Hunter’s] role in the state, its economic importance and the need to renew it, and he backed that up with a billion dollars of investment against a lot of opposition locally [and] sometimes politically in Macquarie Street.
“He was a champion for the Hunter and I think it does put a bit of a question mark on the next steps for the Hunter in terms of investment.”
Mr Baird announced his shock retirement from State Parliament on Friday, citing a need to “refresh” the government midway through its term, and the “personal toll” of the job as his father, mother and sister all face serious health issues.
The reaction across the Hunter was mixed, with the Property Council lauding Mr Baird for “setting the platform for Newcastle to be a globally competitive city”, and Save Our Rail accusing him of “decapitating” the city. The man himself bid a fond farewell to the Hunter, but said he wouldn’t be a stranger.
“I will still be a frequent visitor to Newcastle, but now I will be able to spend more time surfing its magnificent beaches,” Mr Baird told the Newcastle Herald.
Mr Baird has been lauded by his supporters in the Hunter as a genuine supporter of the region on the back of investments made during his time as Premier, and he said he was “proud” of his role in the city’s revitalisation.
“Newcastle is one of the best cities in the world and I’m proud to have played a role in delivering massive investment to the Hunter,” he told the Herald.
But a candid Mr MacDonald said he “a little bit concerned” about what Mr Baird’s resignation would mean for the advocacy of the region, saying he was “not aware” of any other senior members of the government who were similarly interested in the Hunter.
“There wasn’t a lot of reward in terms of electoral gain in spending money here for him or us as a government so I do think he stands out as someone who took the best interests of the Hunter to heart for the right reasons,” he said.
“I think he was very unhappy seeing the second largest city in a state of decay.
“It wasn’t keeping up with Sydney, it was falling behind in many ways - transport, self esteem, aesthetics, the diversity of the economy [and] I think that genuinely puzzled and distressed him so he acted.
“There have been two or three budgets since we made those major commitments so there’s been many opportunities to stop funds or diminish the flow of funds to Newcastle and the Hunter [but] if anything he put more into it.”
However not everyone was quite as complimentary of Mr Baird’s legacy in the Hunter.
While Labor leader Luke Foley wished Mr Baird well in his life after politics, shadow minister for the Hunter and Port Stephens MP Kate Washington was less magnanimous.
“I can’t help but think his heartless policies have been his undoing,” Ms Washington said.
“From a Hunter perspective, the government’s been too arrogant to consult with us and too heartless to change when it’s made mistakes.”
Ms Washington said forced council amalgamations – which have been dogged by legal action, and threaten to delay council elections until 2018 – had “played out very poorly” in Port Stephens.
“We continue to hope the government will see the error of its ways.”
Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp said the outgoing Premier had left the state worse than he found it.
“I made particular note that Mike Baird said in his press conference this morning ‘the state will never be the same again.’ This is true, but unfortunately not in the positive light he meant,” he said.
Andrew Fletcher from the Hunter chapter of the Property Council praised Mr Baird as an “absolute champion” of the region.
“His legacy will be setting the platform for Newcastle to be a globally competitive city in the future,” he said.
But Joan Dawson from Save Our Rail said he had “decapitated” the city by cutting the Newcastle heavy rail line.
