It was one of the great ironies of politics 2015-style. As leadership rumblings and opinion poll setbacks surrounded the then prime minister Tony Abbott, NSW Premier Mike Baird released a 12-point plan to focus on improved outcomes for his state.
The guide is clear and simple. Mr Baird's aim is to measure his team's results – and that of state bureaucrats. He expects regular measurement will force them to get things done. Voters benefit from knowing the government's goals and performance against them.
NSW Premier Mike Baird explained why he was making tough calls and what the benefits would be.Credit: Michele Mossop
By contrast, the Abbott government struggled to outline a plan, let alone sell it or stem the self-destruction instinct of some ministers.
We know how that approach ended up.
So what can Mr Baird teach MalcolmTurnbull and his new Treasurer, Scott Morrison?
Mr Baird and his predecessor as premier, Barry O'Farrell, inherited similar problems to their federal Liberal counterparts. The state party soon faced the added issue of corruption allegations against colleagues.
But as treasurer, Mr Baird focused on budget savings, delivering growth and finding new ways to fund it. That's almost exactly what the new federal Treasurer is now saying he plans to do.
Almost a year ago, the Herald said that under Mr Baird "the state Liberals have not been shy about pursuing core conservative principles … but in policy terms, in what it is actually doing with its years in government, the party seems to be acting with a sense of liberal flexibility and pragmatism that is not being matched by the party in Canberra".
Just as important, Mr Baird explained why he was making tough calls and what the benefits would be.
Having risen to Premier, he did the difficult work of winning voter support for the privatisation of electricity poles and wires. That tactic worked.
Now Mr Baird's future is assured. His focus has enabled the NSW government to shift towards private-sector style governance. He is even confident enough to downplay financial goals in his "Premier's Priorities" announced this month.
His goals include improving education results so the proportion of NSW schools in the top two NAPLAN bands increases by 8 per cent; improving hospital service delivery so 81 per cent of patients are through emergency departments within four hours; reducing the proportion of domestic violence perpetrators who re-offend within 12 months by 5 per cent; reducing overweight and obesity rates of children by 5 per cent over 10 years; decreasing the percentage of young people re-reported at risk of significant harm by 15 per cent; reducing youth homelessness; and reducing the volume of litter by 40 per cent by 2020.
His priorities and 18 state goals replace Mr O'Farrell's unwieldy 2021 plan, which had 32 goals, 186 targets and 321 measures.
Sure, some elements are missing from Mr Baird's pared-back effort. More on the environment would be good. While Mr Baird insists goals not in his top 30 will still receive due attention, there is a question of accountability when results in those sectors are not readily assessable by the public. Some of the goals involve motherhood statements, too.
But governments can aspire to meeting a greater variety of voter needs in the long term when the basics are done right.
By contrast, the Abbott government struggled to find a compelling economic narrative and was not the great reforming regime it should have been.
Australia needs stable government from the middle. Mr Baird has offered that in NSW. Mr Turnbull can offer that too.
His promise before challenging Mr Abbott for the Liberal leadership accused the incumbents of failing to provide economic leadership and the economic confidence that business needs.
"We need a style of leadership that explains those challenges and opportunities, explains the challenges and how to seize the opportunities," Mr Turnbull said. He might have been looking at his home state when he said it.
In coming months the government will be handed myriad reports of tax, federation and defence inquiries.
The Herald believes the nation needs to have a bigger goods and services tax, examination of capital gains tax discounts and negative gearing, as well as reductions in myriad superannuation tax breaks that go to those who need them least.
Mr Turnbull cannot do everything the reports will recommend, but, like Mr Baird, he can prioritise and communicate the reasons with the public. That would be a welcome change in the federal sphere.