The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has launched a scathing attack on the New South Wales premier Dominic Perrottet’s government, saying it is “plagued by scandal” and slamming its “deficit of character”.
Despite a series of public appearances with Perrottet in recent months in which he has been complimentary of the Coalition premier, Albanese used the official launch of the NSW Labor campaign on Sunday to issue a searing broadside on the government three weeks out from the state election.
The prime minister slammed the NSW Coalition over a series of public infrastructure missteps and grant scandals.
“[The government is] falling apart before our eyes, cracking like an imported light rail carriage, breaking down like an out-sourced ferry, plagued by scandal, dogged by resignation,” he said during the speech.
“And, it still boggles my mind to say this, even stooping so low as to rort bushfire aid,” he said, referring to a recent auditor general report which found former deputy premier John Barilaro’s office effectively excluded Labor electorates from a bushfire recovery grant program by changing the threshold for the fund.
“Imagine the deficit of character that it takes to even think of doing that, let alone doing that,” he said.
“Looking at fellow Australians who have been through hell [and] calculating how they may help you secure a political advantage.”
Albanese received a hero’s welcome at the campaign launch on Sunday, where he introduced the opposition leader, Chris Minns, as “a leader with compassion and empathy … guided by fairness and integrity”.
While polls have shown the campaign tightening in recent weeks, Labor remains ahead of a Coalition government seeking a fourth term in government. The opposition has sought to put cost of living and restoring health and education services at the centre of his election platform.
In his speech, Minns announced a $93m commitment to hire 1,000 apprentices and trainees in the public sector and $70m to build three helicopter bases in regional NSW.
He said the apprenticeship roles – as well as a previously announced Tafe centre of excellence – would “help the next generation of tradies get the skills they need to take off”.
“A Labor government I lead will make the investments required to ensure we have the workforce to achieve long-term, sustainable economic growth,” he said.
It came as Perrottet on Sunday announced a $1.2bn investment in health infrastructure, promising to build and upgrade 20 hospitals and health facilities across the state including $260m for stage two of the Concord hospital redevelopment.
