Can I start by thanking Mike Baird for the outstanding contribution
he has made as Premier of New South Wales.
New South Wales is the economic
and infrastructure powerhouse of the nation,
and Mike Baird has led that charge.
He has made a big difference to the lives of the people of this state,
which was his intention when he came to politics.
And I want to extend my personal gratitude to him,
but also, on behalf of all the people that he has served,
and wish him and Kerryn and his family the best for the future.
I want to also thank my parliamentary colleagues
for the trust they have invested in me today.
I thank them for determining, based on my performance,
that I am best for the job,
and I am so excited that the party has come together, united,
in support of my premiership.
I want to thank Dom Perrottet
for accepting to be the deputy leader of the Liberal Party.
Dom and I have worked together side by side
in the Expenditure Review Committee for three years,
and I can assure you of his diligence and his intellect,
and he will make an outstanding contribution to New South Wales,
especially in his role as treasurer,
and I'm really looking forward to working with him in that capacity.
But today is not about...just about myself or about the deputy leader.
Today is about the 7.5 million people
we represent in New South Wales -
the 7.5 million people that rely on us
and look to us to give them the leadership they deserve
and the leadership they need.
And I want to give this commitment today to those 7.5 million people -
that I will be governing for everyone,
that I will be delivering for everyone.
I am proud of the fact
that New South Wales has the strongest economy in the nation.
I'm proud of the fact
we have the strongest budget position in the nation.
We cannot take for granted
that we are the only jurisdiction in the nation -
and I would say one of the few jurisdictions anywhere -
that has virtually no government debt
and billions to spend on services and infrastructure.
But what we need to make sure
is that every community across New South Wales gets its fair share.
And that's what I'll be making sure happens.
My government will listen to the community,
not just at elections, but between elections.
The community want and deserve to be heard,
and they will be under my leadership.
My government will be led by the values
that are most important to me, and that's respect and hard work.
And what I would like to do today is outline three key policy areas
which will be hallmarks of my government.
Firstly, local infrastructure.
I'm just not talking about those mega projects in Sydney,
as important as they are,
but I'm talking about making sure every community gets what it needs.
I know what difference it is to a community
if a dirt road becomes a bitumen road.
I know what difference it makes to a community
if there's a new hospital ward
or if there's a toilet upgrade at the local sporting oval.
Under my leadership, every community across the state will be better off
and will get its fair share.
Another issue which is very important to me
and will be a huge priority for our government is housing affordability.
As a government, we have done much in this area,
but we know there is so much more to do.
I want to make sure
that every average, hardworking person in this state
can aspire to own their own home.
That's something that I valued, what worked hard to do,
and I want to make sure everybody else has that opportunity as well.
And finally, a third policy priority I'd like to outline today
is a strong economy.
A strong economy means more jobs, it means better services,
and it means putting money where it's needed the most.
But today, there are two things, or two major influences,
which I believe have had the greatest impact
on the type of person I am
and the type of premier I will be from today.
Firstly, I've had the amazing opportunity
to have the most outstanding human beings as my parents.
I haven't talked about this much previously,
but my father was a boilermaker, a welder,
and one of the first jobs he did in Sydney
was working on the Sydney Opera House,
which is a great sense of pride for my family.
My mum left school at 15 to help support her family,
and became a nurse.
And during her career as a nurse,
I've watched her take care of those most vulnerable
and those most in need.
Both of them were shift workers,
and it wasn't uncommon for us to be with extended family, as sisters,
to be taken care of.
And then, when I was older,
it wasn't uncommon for me to look after my family.
But every week...there wasn't a week that went by, I should say,
when my parents didn't remind us
of how lucky we were to have the opportunities we have
here in New South Wales.
How lucky we were to benefit from this great place.
And they made us believe that we could be anything we aspired to be.
And that's certainly what I bring to the job today.
In our household, there was no room for complaining or making excuses.
You just got on with the job and did it.
And secondly, public education.
As my parents were new immigrants, I was born here in Sydney,
but when I started school, I couldn't speak English.
I remember my mother said to me,
"Don't worry if you don't really understand what the teacher says.
"Put up your hand and have a go."
But today, I took my mother's advice,
but I want to pay tribute to all the teachers
who, during my life... during my life at school,
in the public education system,
saw something in me and encouraged it.
And that's why you will have in me the strongest supporter of Gonski,
because I know what a public education can do for somebody.
And if I didn't have access to that education,
I wouldn't be standing before you here today.
But I want every person in New South Wales, no matter where they live,
to feel that they have the choices and the opportunities
to be their best.
That's certainly what I have done.
Because that means a better quality for themselves
and for their loved ones.
And that's where government comes in.
It's our job to provide the quality services and the infrastructure
and also to make sure these opportunities
are available to everybody.
But also we need to remember that governments can only do so much,
and governments can, though, enable all of us
to be better citizens,
to exercise our freedoms, but also look out for each other.
I look forward to leading a government
that will listen, support, and act for everyone across our great state,
no matter where people live and no matter what their circumstances.
Personally, I do know what it's like to battle, to struggle,
and to overcome challenges through sheer hard work.
And I want this opportunity for everybody in our great state.
New South Wales is the best place to live and work.
We've done so much as a government to make sure that's the case.
My job now, as the new premier,
is to make sure that everybody in our state, every community,
gets its fair share.
Thank you very much.