The Wire

Swept to power in a commanding election win just over a week ago, the new Coalition government in New South Wales has got to work quickly – but its very first move has been controversial. Over the weekend, it was revealed that the previous Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water would no longer exist in its own right, with many of its functions subsumed by Premier Barry O’Farrell’s own Department of Premier and Cabinet. The government says the decision is designed to deliver better outcomes, but it has been attacked by environmental groups for potentially downgrading the importance of ecological issues.