The one-time Liberal transport minister David Elliott used to boast about his collegial relationship with the all-powerful Rail, Tram and Bus Union. Remember, this was the minister who infuriated his former boss, Dominic Perrottet, by insisting his bedtime was more important than staying up to make sure a bitter train dispute did not escalate. (It did.) So, Elliott was not an obvious friend of the unions.

Elliott accused rail workers in early 2022 of “industrial bastardry” when they threatened strike action just a month after he described a shutdown of the network as “terrorist-like activity”. It swiftly emerged that it was, in fact, Elliott’s own government that made the decision (while he was asleep) to shut down Sydney’s railway for a day.

NSW Minister........

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