NSW leaders continue gruelling campaigns

NSW Premier Kristina Keneally has defended her comments over the "ousting" of 23 MPs, while opposition leader Barry O'Farrell announced a plan to tackle noxious weeds, as the pair continued their gruelling seven-day-a-week commitments ahead of next Saturday's state election.
She's used to being attacked by the opposition, but on Saturday Ms Keneally was forced to respond to a Sydney newspaper report which showed her own party was turning against her.
Several once-loyal colleagues are said to be angry at the premier for suggesting at Wednesday's People's Forum in western Sydney that 23 under-performing MPs had been shown the door, rather than retired voluntarily.
Parramatta MP Tanya Gadiel reportedly retaliated by sending a text to Ms Keneally which read: "I know you are under pressure but I am disgusted at your comment about being shown the door," The Daily Telegraph reported on Saturday.
"Where did your decency go? When this is all over, you need to have a good hard look at yourself."
Ms Keneally defended her actions, saying sometimes change was difficult.
"I made it clear last year that I wanted to change our parliamentary ranks," she told reporters in western Sydney on Saturday.
"Change is sometimes difficult...but it is worth pursuing here to bring change in our parliamentary ranks."
She added she was pleased to be taking a team of experienced MPs as well as fresh faces to the upcoming election.
She was speaking in Campbelltown, in Sydney's southwest, while announcing a Early Intervention for Young Offenders policy.
Meanwhile, opposition leader Barry O'Farrell pledged $9 million to go towards protecting conservation land, of which $6 million would be spent on getting rid of noxious weeds.
Under the plan, government agencies that control state-owned land would abide by the same rules on weed control as owners of private land, Mr O'Farrell said.
"We will end the hypocrisy of telling farmers in the Monaro, that they have to keep their weeds under control, but allowing properties that are owned by the state, whether they are rail lines or others, to be weed-infested and affect those properties," he said.
He made the announcement at Lane Cove National Park, in Sydney's north.
While there he called on the NSW government to explain why it had spent $1 million on a report it had no intention on following up on, because its recommendations were unacceptable.
The Boston Consultant Group report, commissioned by Education minister Verity Firth, makes recommendations which include closing 80 primary and 20 high schools, in a bid to make up for a projected $1 billion black hole in the education budget.
Ms Firth told the Sydney Morning Herald she found the report's recommendations "unacceptable", while Mr O'Farrell criticised the Labor government for paying for the report.
"What we haven't seen is (Treasurer) Eric Roozendaal come out and explain why almost $1 million, as I understand, was spent on this report, and what its purpose was," he said.
"This report suggests another 100 schools will be closed at a time when we face population projections that suggest there will be nine million people in NSW."
The Labor party's official NSW election campaign launch will be held on Sunday in Leumeah, in Sydney's outer southwest.
The NSW Liberal Party will spend the day campaigning at Tumbi Umbi, on the NSW Central Coast.