The retirement of Mike Baird from politics will open the door for Maitland to have a better relationship with the Premier, Maitland MP Jenny Aitchison says.
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The Premier made the shock retirement announcement on Thursday morning, after taking the reins as Liberal Party leader from Barry O’Farrell in 2014.
Ms Aitchison said Maitland had a large wish list that she was eager to discuss with the new Premier, particularly in the areas of health and education.
She said she believed privatisation and cuts to social infrastructure would be the hallmarks of Mr Baird’s time as Premier.
“The former Premier Barry O’Farrell is the one who promised the roundabout at Church Street – that’s been delivered – he also gave the funding for the Number One Sportsground and of course there was the Maitland hospital,” she said.
“Under the Baird regime, a lot of those projects have been very tardy in their delivery.
“I think if we had the chance to speak with a new Premier who might be a little bit more open to helping our community, that’s a really good step forward and that’s something I’ll be working to try and achieve.
“I think he’ll be remembered as a smash and grab Premier who sold off so many of our assets in NSW and we didn’t see a lot for it.”
Mr Baird told reporters in Sydney on Thursday that he would resign from politics next week, after a leadership spill to select his replacement.
He said his decision had been influenced by serious health challenges that his father, mother and sister were facing.
In a statement released earlier on Thursday morning, Mr Baird said it had been “a tremendous honour” to serve as NSW Premier for the past three years.
“But I have made clear from the beginning that I was in politics to make a difference, and then move on,” he said
“After 10 years in public life, this moment for me has arrived.”
It comes after a series of issues, including his plan to ban greyhound racing and the subsequent backflip, damaged his popularity last year.
Ms Aitchison said she believed Treasurer, and former Minister for the Hunter, Gladys Berejiklian would be one of the front-runners to take the leadership.
“It’d be good to see the Liberal government put forward a female, but that would have some issues,” she said.
“The rail truncation started under her watch as Transport Minister.”
Nick Bielby
Nick Bielby is a crime reporter who has been with the Newcastle Herald since 2017.
Nick Bielby is a crime reporter who has been with the Newcastle Herald since 2017.
