New Labor leadership team has been elected with a historic focus on manufacturing and regional jobs.
The new NSW Labor Leadership team has today been elected unopposed following a meeting of NSW Labor MPs.
Swansea MP Yasmin Catley will serve as Deputy Labor Leader which marks the first time since the 1960s a regional representative has served in the leadership team of the NSW Labor Party (Jack Renshaw, Labor Premier 1964 – 1965, Member for Castlereagh).
Adam Searle will continue as Leader of the Opposition in the NSW Upper House and Penny Sharpe will become Deputy Labor Leader in the Upper House.
Ms Catley’s portfolio responsibilities will include rural and regional jobs, building on Labor Leader Jodi McKay’s commitments to revitalise regional jobs and manufacturing.
Ms Catley currently represents a regional electorate with a high proportion of people working in trade and industry.
Ms McKay said she looks forward to working with her new leadership team.
“Yasmin will make a fantastic contribution to the Labor leadership team. I look forward to working with her over the coming years to promote our plan to back the NSW manufacturing industry and regional jobs,” Ms McKay said.
“Since the election and under Adam’s leadership in the Upper House, Labor has won a number of key votes against the Government that have improved accountability and transparency for NSW. I look forward to continuing this important work with Adam.”
“I thank Penny Sharpe for her time as interim opposition leader. She served Labor and the people of NSW with distinction and she will continue to make an important contribution to my leadership team.”
In the hundred days since the 2019 NSW State Election, Premier Gladys Berejiklian has presided over a litany of broken promises, two ministerial scandals and has begun to prepare the ground for further sell offs of public assets.