Luke Foley has made education the centrepiece of his first state conference speech as NSW Labor leader, vowing to fix the soaring cost of preschool to make it "affordable and accessible" for every four year old in NSW.
Mr Foley has also promised that every primary school child would learn a second language under a Labor government.
On Sunday morning, Mr Foley entered Sydney Town Hall to a rousing reception from party members.
He thanked party members and unions who campaigned for Labor at the 2015 state election and attacked Premier Mike Baird for advocating an increase in the GST from 10 to 15 per cent and cutting TAFE funding.
Mr Foley said that when he was Treasurer, Mr Baird had cut $270 million from NSW schools and highlighted the cuts to education funding in the 2014 federal budget.
Turning to preschool, Mr Foley said NSW has the highest preschool fees in the country and "invests the lowest amount per child in preschool education of any state or territory government in Australia".
In NSW 59 per cent of children attend preschool for the recommended 15 hours a week and NSW families pay a median of $43 for two days, after subsidies, Labor says.
"New South Wales charges parents the most and puts in the least," Mr Foley said.
Describing it as his most important policy announcement in the 13 months he has been leader, Mr Foley announced that Labor "commits to affordable and accessible preschool education for every four year old in New South Wales."
On Monday he would visit KU Children's Services at Rushcutters Bay, in Sydney's east, for a meeting with operators, teachers and parents.
"In the coming weeks I will be inviting experts in the field into my office talking with early childhood educators and parents about how to deliver what Whitlam said is 'the most important single weapon in promoting equality'—preschool for all," Mr Foley said, to a standing ovation.
On languages, Mr Foley noted Japan is Australia's single largest export market "yet for every kid studying Japanese in a New South Wales primary school there's thirteen in Queensland."
"More than twice as many Victorian primary school students are studying Mandarin than in New South Wales despite the size of our Chinese population," he said.
Learning a second language also improves overall academic performance, he said.
"Under the next Labor Government every child in our primary schools will be taught a second language," Mr Foley announced.
In other anticipated announcements, Mr Foley said he would prioritise investment in the Olympic stadium at Homebush over construction of a new rectangular stadium at Moore Park, which is proposed by the Baird government.
He also confirmed Labor would commit to real time disclosure of political donations. Within a year of the March 2019 election, Labor "will disclose the sources and amounts of state donations within seven days of their receipt," Mr Foley said.
