The NSW Liberal party has finally found a leader and a Premier in waiting.
But theres still a lot of work to do. After 14 years of Labor with two more to go the electorate is ready for a change. And they want a new premier to set them alight.
Barry OFarrell looks just the man to do it.
However, the old political adage that Governments lose elections Oppositions dont win them still seems to be happening in NSW.
The Opposition is in front on a two party preferred basis but Barry OFarrell, known as Boofer to his mates, is still behind Nathan Rees as preferred Premier.
At this stage of the electoral cycle, given the shaky condition of the Labor Government, this is still a little worrying.
By any measure, Barry OFarrell should be ahead as preferred Premier and probably a little further ahead in the polls. There maybe a number of reasons why he isnt, not all easy to figure out, but all fixable too. No doubt Barry and his team are working on these.
First, its always very difficult for an Opposition to get its message heard above the clamour of Government.
Secondly, theres a public perception of a lack of policy development. Until recently the political wisdom was to defer policy pronouncement as late as you could in the electoral cycle. This was popularised when it was used as a tactic by John Howard against Paul Keating in his winning 1996 Federal campaign.
But, in the middle of the Great Uncertainty of the Great Recession, the punters want more than a few political slogans and a couple of ideas. They want to know how an Opposition elevated to Government will do better. These days the public want Oppositions to demonstrate beyond doubt that they are an Alternative Government. While it has taken some time, the Coalition is now starting to do this they are on the cusp.
And thirdly, theres a public desire to have leaders who ignite their interest and inspire their confidence who set them on fire as it were. People they can respect even if, as with Kevin Rudd, they dont entirely quickly warm to. A key insight here is the public want strength and they want intellect: both of which Barry OFarrell possesses and both of which the electorate is just starting to see.
So lets look a little more deeply at Coalition policy. Theres a splash of transport policy, theres a daub of health policy and theres some splattering around treasury, governance and the public service.
There are general statements of what the Opposition might do in relation to critical areas the government has stuffed up, but there needs to be more in relation to concrete policy and a strategy to rescue the state.
Voters want to know the answers to questions like will the trains run on time, will the roads be increasingly clogged, can the Coalition clean up crime and gang violence, can we avoid ending up getting sicker in hospital than when we were admitted. So far weve heard Barry tell us that Labor hasnt done this very well. The electorate needs specifics and the specifics need to add up.
As I write this piece, Barry OFarrell has just delivered a major speech to 950 of the faithful gathered at La Montage in Lilyfield. Every one of the 950 were of the opinion that the Liberal-National Coalition will be the next government of NSW.
Barry gave a very good speech and an interesting insight into several policy areas. Theres a major economic plan not fully developed but the centrepiece is payroll tax cuts of 15%. Theres a plan to put passengers first through better coordination of transport services. The Coalition has committed to delivering major rail projects to Sydneys south-west and north-west. There was an announcement of smaller management boards for local health districts. And, as you might expect, a promise to restore honesty and accountability to government.
Probably more important than any of this was Barrys commitment to grow a stronger, more accountable public service, differentiated markedly from his predecessor, Peter Debnam, who intended to slash the public service.
None of these policies is yet fully developed or articulated. We must hope, as the next two years go by, that this will happen sooner rather than later and that the Opposition will communicate them clearly and effectively and become a real Government in waiting.
Barry OFarrell is a capable, articulate and a decent person. While hes not easy to get to know, he appears to have the capability to capture the interest of the electorate. Often, some people say he lacks passion. Well, he didnt last night.
More importantly he engaged with people both in his speech and in working the room in a way Ive not seen before.
It was an important speech and a compelling performance. Barry seems to be on the way to delivering what the people of NSW want.