New South Wales Premier, Dominic Perrottet, and Opposition Leader, Chris Minns, will face off in the last and most significant debate of the 2023 State Election campaign.
The leaders will appear at the Sky News/The Daily Telegraph People’s Forum on Wednesday, 22 March at 7:30 pm AEDT, hosted by Sky News Australia’s Chief News Anchor, Kieran Gilbert, live from Western Sydney.
Western Sydney has become the primary battleground for the major parties this election due to several seats in the area shifting from Labor to Liberal when the Coalition came to power in 2011.
In the final showdown before the election day on 25 March, the People’s Forum will provide 100 undecided voters, as selected by Q&A Market Research, with the opportunity to ask the two leaders questions about their vision for the state.
Gilbert believes that this final debate has the potential to shift the dial for undecided voters. It will give both leaders an unscripted and unpredictable platform to debate, enabling voters to hold them accountable. The People’s Forum will also offer New South Wales voters the chance to see both men put forward their most convincing elevator pitch one last time.
Co-hosted by The Daily Telegraph and Sky News, the People’s Forum is a pivotal event that has famously helped decide election outcomes in the past. This year, Ben English, Editor of The Daily Telegraph, expressed pride in co-hosting the event once again.
Meanwhile, Paul Whittaker, Chief Executive Officer of Sky News Australia, believes that this People’s Forum will be the last and most important debate of the State Election. He emphasized that it will test the fortitude of both leaders as they compete under pressure to win the hearts and minds of undecided voters.
“Under Premier Dominic Perrottet the NSW Liberal Coalition government is hoping for a record-equalling fourth elected term in office, a performance not achieved by the Coalition since Sir Robert Askin led the Liberal Coalition to four victories between 1965 and 1973.
While a strong performance from Opposition Leader Chris Minns could set the scene for a Labor government in every state, except for Tasmania, edging the party closer to its 2007 record where it held government nationally, across every state and territory.
“This People’s Forum will be the last and most important debate of the State Election and will test the fortitude of both leaders as they compete under pressure to win the hearts and minds of undecided voters.”
The People’s Forum events have been staged at federal and state elections since 2010, with the most recent debate being held in November 2022 during the Victorian State Election. The forum will also be live-streamed at SkyNews.com.au and to The Daily Telegraph subscribers at dailytelegraph.com.au.
With the stakes high, both parties will undoubtedly pull out all the stops to persuade voters, especially those who remain undecided, in the lead-up to the election.
