Nathan Rees has been dumped as the premier of NSW in favour of Kristina Keneally, who will become the State's
Nathan Rees has been dumped as the premier of NSW in favour of Kristina Keneally, who will become the State’s fourth premier in five years.
Keneally says she will focus on public transport, jobs, health, education and care for vulnerable people in her new position.
Speaking with Karl Stefanovic in an interview on the Nine Network this morning, Keneally announced public transport as one of her key priorities.
“As planning minister I set us a goal of building Australia’s best planning system,” she said.
“That’s the same focus I bring to my job as premier as we tackle the challenges, particularly in public transport.
“We are delivering a public transport system which has seen our trains run on time 95 per cent. Our next challenge in public transport is to enlarge it and expand it.”
The scandal and drama dominating NSW politics took another turn yesterday after a majority of the Labor caucus voted in favour of Keneally after Rees’ 15 months in the position.
The vote followed a press conference earlier in the day where Rees accused Joe Tripodi and Eddie Obeid of undermining the Government and that his replacement would be a “puppet” of the right-wing warlords.
During a press conference following her ascension to the premiership, Keneally denied any talk factional powerbrokers such as Tripodi would be pulling the strings.
Keneally, who was born in the US and moved to Australia in 1994, is the first woman to be the premier of NSW.
Carmel Tebbutt, the wife of federal Minister for Infrastructure Anthony Albanese, has retained her position as the deputy premier.
The antics in NSW drew the ire of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who told the Labor MPs to, “Get your act together”.