Baird dismisses ALP reforms

Premier Mike Baird has dismissed NSW Labor's decision to give ordinary members a say in choosing its leader, saying the ALP is too focused on talking about itself.

Labor's annual state conference on Saturday agreed to the plan which is aimed at taking away power from factional bosses.

Under the new rule, Labor's state leader will be determined by a ballot weighted at 50 per cent caucus members and 50 per cent members of the party.

"What you see in that (is) Labor has a great capacity to talk about itself," Mr Baird told reporters.

He said the Liberal Party already had democracy, with its leader being elected by its MPs who have gone through a proper preselection process.

"That's often not the case under Labor," he said.

Meanwhile, state Labor also formally adopted a coal seam gas (CSG) free-zone for the NSW North Coast, including in the Northern Rivers region.

Mr Baird said he was more interested in having a "consistent" position on CSG mining rather than enforcing CSG bans.

"We're not talking about particular regions - we're talking about what is the sensible policy," he said, adding that it was important to balance environmental concerns with the state's gas needs.