Lisa Wilkinson’s daughter follows in her mother’s footsteps as a journalist with a very fiery interview – which makes her mother ‘very proud’
- NSW Premier interviewed by Billi FitzSimons
- She grilled Dominic Perrottet about party policies
- Billi is the editor of news website The Daily Aus
Billi FitzSimons channeled her hard-nosed journalist mother during a fiery interview with NSW Prime Minister Dominic Perrottet, making her mother Lisa Wilkinson “very proud”.
The daughter of journalists Lisa Wilkinson and Peter FitzSimons sat down with the prime minister for a video interview on Saturday before the state election.
Ms FitzSimons, the editor of The Daily Aus, asked Mr Perrottet a series of questions about his party’s health, climate and housing policies.
She asked the state leader why NSW, unlike most jurisdictions in Australia, had not committed to or implemented mandatory nurse-patient relationships.
“We think our approach is working,” Mr. Perrottet replied.
“I understand there are different points of view when it comes to this. Ultimately, we must do everything we can to relieve the burden of care.
“I am very proud of the fact that NSW has the strongest healthcare system in the country.”
Billi FitzSimons (pictured with her journalist mother Lisa Wilkinson in 2017) put Dominic Perrottet through his policies and smoking habits during a sit-down interview
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet was interviewed by Billi FitzSimons ahead of the state election on Saturday, March 25
When asked about state school funding, Perrottet said his party had invested a record amount of money in public education.
“We mainly fund state schools in the public system in NSW,” he said.
“We have looked at all areas of government funding and made significant investments in our public education system. I am very focused on better results in education, and that is exactly what we have done.’
The prime minister was asked how he was preparing the state for the next natural disaster.
Mr Perrottet said his government, if re-elected, would work to reduce carbon emissions after seeing firsthand the devastation in flood-stricken areas.
“We are a land of floods and wildfires,” he said.
“We need to make sure we don’t just do the things we’ve done in the past because we’re just going to be in the same position next time.”
Billi (pictured with her mother) graduated from the University of Sydney in 2019 and was appointed editor of the news website in March 2022
Billi concluded the interview by asking the prime minister a more personal question.
“You recently admitted that you vape occasionally and what your favorite flavor is. What message does that send to young people?’ she asked.
‘Well, the first thing I’d say is don’t smoke,’ Mr Perrottet hit back.
And I made that very clear. When it comes to vaping, we’ve invested heavily in making sure those public messages are loud and clear.
‘Nobody is perfect. Nobody is perfect. And I’ve found that vaping has occasionally helped me get rid of cigarettes. You can [vape] in NSW with a prescription.”
Billi urged her followers to watch her interviews with Mr Perrottet and Labor leader Chris Minns on her personal Instagram page.
‘Well done dear. Very proud,” her mother, Lisa Wilkinson, remarked.
Mr Perrottet will face opposition leader Chris Minns (pictured with his family) when NSW residents go to the polls on Saturday 25 March
Billi worked for online publication Mamamia throughout college before landing a job as a political writer at The Daily Aus after graduating.
She graduated from the University of Sydney in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communications), Government and International Relations, Digital Cultures.
Billi was appointed editor of The Daily Aus in March last year.