Future of NSW: We speak to the men vying to lead Australia's most populous state

SBS News has spoken to the two men vying to lead NSW. Here's what they had to say.

NSW voters head to the polls on Saturday, as Chris Minns (left) vies to deny the Coalition a fourth term.

KEY POINTS:

• NSW voters will head to the polls on Saturday.
• Premier Dominic Perrottet is seeking a fourth term for the Coalition.
• Chris Minns hopes Labor will have its first NSW election win since 2007.

Australia's most populous state heads to the ballot box this weekend.

Dominic Perrottet is aiming to earn the Coalition a fourth term in what will be his first election as premier.

And less than two years into the job, Opposition leader Chris Minns hopes to lead Labor to its first victory in the state since 2007.

SBS News sat down with both men as the race hit its home stretch. Here are the main takeaways.

Pokie reform

Dominic Perrottet: "We have people putting their life savings down pokie machines. That's not right. I'm gonna do something about it. I believe this change will make a real difference."

Chris Minns: "I want to make sure reform works. But I don't want to be in a position where despite the best of intentions we introduce a policy that in fact fails. We saw that with lockout laws, we saw that with greyhounds."

NSW hosts around half of all pokies in Australia.

Australia has less than half a per cent of the world's population, but around a fifth of its pokie machines. Half of those are in NSW.

Mr Perrottet is proposing a radical plan to make them cashless by the end of 2028.

The Coalition's plan would include mandatory self-imposed limits lasting a week, cooling-off periods and breaks in play. Punters would also be unable to transfer funds from credit cards, while automatic top-ups would be banned.

But pubs and clubs hit by the decision, which would start to be phased in from next year, would receive financial assistance to cope with a loss of income.

Labor isn't supporting the proposal, instead promising to trial it on 500 machines across NSW before reaching a decision down the line.

But one idea it is backing the government on is banning political donations from gambling companies.

Rising prices

Dominic Perrottet: "We've got the strong financial and economic management to deal with the challenges of today ... [to] continue to support households and put downward pressure on family budgets."

Chris Minns: "People will look at the NSW government and see cost of living exploding under their watch."

Dominic Perrottet is vying for his first election win as premier. Credit: Justin Lloyd / AAP Image

Mr Perrottet has promised $250 short-term cuts to energy bills for all NSW households, and a range of back-to-school vouchers for parents struggling with rising costs.

He says he'll also cap public transport costs at $40 per week to particularly benefit those travelling from Sydney's outer suburbs.

Labor is promising a weekly cap of $60 on tolls for people using the M5 and M8 motorways, with Mr Minns saying people shouldn't be punished for living in areas with poor access to public transport. It also wants tax cuts for first home buyers - eliminating stamp duty on properties up to $800,000.

Kids super fund

Dominic Perrottet: "Good government is not just about dealing with the here and now. You need to do that, but at the same time look to the future. And that's what these accounts do."

Mr Perrottet made a children's super fund the centrepiece of his campaign launch.

The plan - named the NSW Kids Future Fund - would see every child under the age of 10 given an account, starting at $400, with the state government to match every dollar parents subsequently contribute up to $400. Parental contributions would be capped at $1,000 annually.

The government estimates that accounts receiving matching contributions of $400 each year will be valued at over $28,000 by the time the child reaches adulthood.

But critics say the move will exacerbate inequality, given parents with the financial means to contribute more will reap more rewards.

Mr Perrottet denies that claim, stressing that anyone unable to put money into the account will get $200 annually regardless. But his plans means that a family able to place $400 into the fund will receive an extra $400 from the government, compared to just $200 for those unable to put a single dollar in.

Mr Minns has flatly rejected the plan, saying the money - estimated at over $700 million - needed would be better spent on boosting the education sector.

Labor up for mainland sweep, but is Minns in danger?

Chris Minns: "At a federal and state level, up until recently, there hasn't been a Labor government in NSW for nearly a decade. So we've had to, in steady increments, convince the people of NSW that we're ready for the challenges and opportunities of government."

Dominic Perrottet: "I think it's a massive risk to the country. I've seen firsthand the importance of having different views around the national cabinet table."

The last time NSW voters headed to the polls, returning Gladys Berejiklian in 2019, the Coalition was in power in Tasmania, and South Australia, while Scott Morrison was just months away from pulling off his "miracle" win to retain office in federal parliament.

But since then, Mr Morrison's government has been unceremoniously booted from office, while Labor also swept to power in South Australia under Peter Malinauskas.

A victory for Chris Minns on Sunday would mean the entire mainland, plus federal parliament, set to be under Labor control.

Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff would be the only Liberal leader in any state or territory.

But Mr Minns holds his seat of Kogarah by an ultra-thin margin - 0.1 per cent - and insists he's not taking his own future "for granted".

"I'm humble about my prospects. It's a tough electorate to win ... but I've never had any intention of moving out," he said.

Selling off assets

Dominic Perrottet: "There's no need to [privatise Sydney Water], there's no need to. We already have that funded infrastructure over the next four years."

Chris Minns: "My real concern is that after $90 billion worth of assets have been privatised by this government, they'll repeat the habits of a lifetime and do the same thing once the polls close."

Mr Minns has repeatedly hammered the Coalition over its record of privatisation.

"When you hand over state-significant infrastructure to private companies, you see as a result of that skyrocketing prices paid by mums and dads. They've got to take responsibility for their record of privatisation," he said.

He claims Sydney Water, which provides drinking water to Sydney and its immediate surroundings, is next on the chopping block and wants to change the constitution to prevent that.

But Mr Perrottet has repeatedly dismissed the "scare campaign", ruling out privatising the utility. But just before the 2019 election, the then-treasurer made a similar commitment about the WestConnex toll road, which the Coalition ultimately broke.

He insists this time it'll be different.

"I stand by my commitment, and I've made it very clear that I make the decisions based on the circumstances that we face," he said.