Dr MARJORIE O'NEILL (Coogee) (17:16:35): I join with my colleagues in condemning the failure of the Premier to provide a strong and stable government for New South Wales. I commend the member for Maroubra from bringing this important matter to the House. At a time when the people of New South Wales need strong and stable leadership, this Premier and her Government have delivered nothing but instability, indecision and infighting. The Premier is presiding over one of the most dysfunctional, disloyal, disobedient and dystopian governments that this State has ever seen. The list of the Government's deficiencies as laid out in this motion and the inability for this Premier to take any effective action whatsoever are disgraceful and rightly deserve the condemnation of this House.

As we know the Liberal-Nationals are still at war over the koala State environmental planning policy [SEPP], so much so that the Deputy Premier attempted to blow-up this Coalition Government by threatening to withdraw support for government legislation. If this Coalition fails to reach consensus on such a key issue, should the blame be shouldered by the second-in-command, the leader of the junior partner in the Coalition, or should the blame properly be laid on the leader of the major partner of the Coalition, the chief decision-maker within their Government, the one who gets the biggest seat at the table and the right to call themselves Premier?

How on earth could the Premier have let the discussions on this SEPP get to such a low point that it risked throwing the governance of New South Wales into chaos? Instead of solving the dispute behind closed Cabinet doors, the Premier placed the principle of collective ministerial responsibility at huge risk before declaring she would replace all Nationals Ministers with Liberal MPs. May I remind the Government, the Premier only exists in her position thanks to the support of The Nationals. The last time the leader of the New South Wales parliamentary Liberal Party governed this State in their own right was exactly never. Yet her hubris led her to believe, despite the contrary advice of constitutional law experts, that she and her Liberal colleagues could govern in their own right.

This is a failure of leadership of the worst order and for this the Premier is rightfully condemned. However, this is not where the Premier's failures end as it continues to be made clear that the Premier has no capacity whatsoever to control her lower-ranked colleagues. It beggars belief, and it is probably only possible under the weak leadership of this Premier, that the Treasurer and deputy leader of the Liberal Party still has a job. It came to the attention of this House and the New South Wales public in July that the New South Wales Government's general insurance arm, icare, had underpaid sick and injured workers in New South Wales by up to $40 million, impacting up to 100,000 people who had fallen ill or been injured whilst at work—the single worst case of underpayment by any Australian government on record. Who is the Minister responsible for icare? The Treasurer and deputy leader of the Liberal Party, who directly reports to only one person: the New South Wales Premier.

Not only did the Treasurer oversee $40 million worth of underpayments but during the same period he also ensured that icare executives still received their executive bonuses—a combined sum that totalled just shy of $4 million. Also on the Treasurer's watch, the CEO of icare has resigned after it was revealed that he failed to declare a conflict of interest that emerged when his wife was given a contract with icare worth up to $750 a day. And as if there were not already more than enough grounds for the Premier to sack her deputy, it has also recently been revealed that two political staff employed in the Treasurer's office had their salaries funded by icare. This appalling display of gross ineptitude caused the Treasurer's chief of staff to resign.

That is not how the Westminster system works. The Treasurer is directly responsible for the actions of his staff and for the agencies overseas. Each of these outrageous acts would be deserved of being removed from both the position of Treasurer and of deputy leader of the Liberal Party, but to do that the Premier would need conviction, fortitude and morality, none of which have been totems of her leadership. Incompetent is a word that is often used to describe this Government and the Premier of New South Wales—in relation to the icare scandal, The Nationals' failed revolt, the environment Minister's conflicts of interest and the police Minister's audition for a remake ofSuper Troopers and for the fact that the member for Drummoyne has spent more time under investigation by ICAC then he did as a Minister. However, more nefariously, incompetence is often used as a shield for tyranny and corruption. That is the legacy of this Premier and is something the House should condemn.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Members will remain seated while in the Chamber under COVID-19 rules.

Mr Andrew Constance: Point of order: I seek withdrawal of the comment from the member for Coogee who used the word "corruption" in that vein against the Premier. I seek a withdrawal and I think it is appropriate.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member for Bega is asking the member for Coogee to withdraw the comment in relation to corruption and the Premier.

Dr Marjorie O'Neill: I am not at all alleging that the Premier is corrupt. I think there has been a corruption of this Government.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member for Bega has asked if the member for Coogee will withdraw the comment.

Dr Marjorie O'Neill: No, I will not withdraw the comment.

Mr Andrew Constance: To the point of order: I think that is a bit cute. I have sought a withdrawal so there is a correction of the Hansard. If your words are going to be "corruption of government", fine, but the allegation of corruption of the individual member that you have just levelled in your words should be withdrawn and I again seek that. Otherwise it could go—

Mr Michael Daley: To the point of order: The words were "incompetence is often used as a shield for tyranny and corruption". That is an observation as to mere principles that apply to all humanity. The member is overstepping in asking for a withdrawal.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! The member for Coogee has indicated that she will not withdraw the comment.