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Politics
Phoebe Loomes

NSW women claim equal stake in Minns Labor cabinet

The gender-balanced NSW ministry will become official once remaining members swear in on Wednesday. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS) (AAP)

The first ever gender-balanced ministry is set to be sworn into the NSW government benches, as Premier Chris Minns looks to lead NSW with women at the table.

Six of the government's 11 incoming female ministers gathered on the steps of the State Library on Tuesday, saying gender parity had taken close to three decades to achieve.

"I'm standing here with history in NSW," said Penny Sharpe, the state's first female environment minister and first female leader in the upper house.

Ms Sharpe said Labor's work towards a gender quota began in 1994 through work by former prime minister Julia Gillard, along with now federal foreign minister Penny Wong and former Victorian premier Joan Kirner.

Incoming emergency services, customer service and youth justice minister, Jihad Dib, will be the first minister to take his oath on the Koran, after treasurer Daniel Mookhey became the first minister to take his oath on the Hindu text the Bhagavad Gita.

It is the second swearing-in for the government, after a skeleton crew of Labor's leadership team signed the papers at Government House just over a week ago as counting continued in a number of seats.

The southwest Sydney seat of Ryde is still in doubt on Wednesday, as Liberal candidate Jordan Lane remains narrowly ahead of Labor's Lyndal Howison.

It comes as the government launches its planned overhaul of Sydney's road toll network, installing former chair of the ACCC Allan Fels to lead the review.

On Wednesday the premier, treasurer and roads minister John Graham will meet with Professor Fels for a briefing from transport officials as they look to overhaul how Sydney motorists are tolled.

Mr Fels will be empowered to negotiate with Transurban and other toll operators to get a "good deal" for motorists in the short term, and will also look for longer-term solutions.

The government has flagged a possible diversification of toll contracts, moving freight on toll roads at night and handing out long-term concessions.

The government has also announced a $60 cap on tolls for motorists, coming into effect next year.

Mr Minns said his government was committed to cutting the cost of living through toll relief for motorists, particular those in western Sydney.

"Sydney has become crisscrossed by a complicated network of toll roads, and we need to find a simpler and more equitable system for the people of NSW," the premier said on Tuesday.

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