Welcome to news.com.au’s coverage of the New South Wales election. Gladys Berejiklian is expected to deliver the Coalition a third term in power with Labor’s Michael Daley conceding defeat. A hung parliament is a possibility. That would mean independents and minor parties could be kingmakers.
KEY POINTS:
• The NSW election has been called for the Coalition
• The ABC has the Coalition on 46 seats, so far, one short of a majority
• Gladys Berejiklian has said she is proud to live in a state where “someone with a long surname and a woman” can be Premier.
• Labor needed to pick up 13 seats to be able to govern outright. So far it has picked up one seat
• The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers have picked up a seat bringing their total to 2, the Greens have retained all 3 seats, Labor has gained 1 while Keep Sydney Open has been taking votes from both parties.
• Mark Latham is almost certain to enter parliament under the One Nation banner.
• With 61 per cent of the votes counted, four seats remain in doubt: Barwon, Dubbo, East Hills and Lismore.
COALITION WINS NSW ELECTION
Defying expectations of a hung parliament it’s predicted the Coalition will hang on in NSW and govern for a third term. Gladys Berejiklian will become the state’s first elected female Premier.
ABC election analyst Antony Green has said the Liberals and Nationals could even make it past the 47 seat mark so they can govern in their own right.
“There just aren’t enough seats in doubt. Some of these seats where we think the Liberals and Nationals have won have got to fall to Labor,” Green said.
“So at the moment, it just looks like the Berejiklian government has been returned. On the numbers I’m looking at the moment, it’s probably in the majority as well.”
THE RESULTS SO FAR
With 61 per cent of the voted counted on Saturday night, the ABC has the Coalition on 46 seats, the ALP on 35, Greens 3, Shooters, Fishers and Farmers (SFF) party 2 and independents 3. 47 seats are needed for a majority with four seats set to be decided.
Labor is expected to win Coogee in Sydney’s east, an area that has seen lots of construction works due to the delayed light rail. Labor could also prevail in Lismore.
The SFF has held onto Orange and looks to have won Murray from the Nats. It could also gain Barwon. If that happens the party will have as many seats as the Greens.
The Greens have stood still in the lower house retaining Newtown, Balmain and Ballina. But they may not gain Lismore which was their top target.
Four seats remain in doubt — Barwon, Dubbo, East Hills and Lismore. Dubbo is leaning National while East Hills, which Labor thought was shoo-in for them, could yet remain with the Libs.
Upper House counting continues but One Nation has bagged around 6 per cent of the vote meaning Mark Latham can look forward to some real power now.
GLADYS: WE WILL ‘WORK OUR GUTS OUT’ FOR NSW
In her victory speech, Gladys Berejiklian has said she is proud to live in a state where “someone with a long surname and a woman” can be Premier.
The Coalition has now formally declared victory with Ms Berejiklian saying she had spoken to Opposition leader Michael Daley who had conceded defeat.
Political rivals including former PM Julia Gillard and the Greens’ Sarah-Hanson Young have sent messages of congratulations.
MORE: Who is Gladys Berejiklian?
The Premier stood in front of a room of cheering Liberal supporters chanting “four more years, four more years”.
Ms Berejiklian gave shout outs to Prime Minister Scott Morrison and former MP John Howard who looked on.
“Ladies and gentlemen, first and foremost, I want to thank the people of this great state for having confidence in my government.
“One of the deepest privileges of my job is to visit the great people across this great state and we will continue to govern for all of us, for all of you.”
The Premier noted that the final result was yet to be known.
“Whether or not my government is a majority or minority government we will work closely with the three minority parties in the NSW government.”
Ms Berjikilan has steered the Coalition to a third term, the first time that’s happened for half a century.
“I’m incredibly proud of the wonderful place in which we live. And what is most important to me is that, no matter what your background — where you live, what your circumstances — everybody in this state has the chance to be their best.
“A state in which someone with a long surname — and a woman — can be the Premier of NSW.
“Because tonight is about the people of NSW and the future of our state. And my team and I will continue to work our guts out to make sure this state and its people continue to ensure that we have the best opportunities on this planet”.
She thanked her parents. Indeed her mum arrived in NSW as an immigrant 50 years ago on Saturday.
She also thanked her sister Mary who has been wowing the crowd: “I think all of you know Mary,” she laughed.
SLOSHED SUPPORTERS JEER DALEY
News.com.au reporter Benjamin Graham was down at the Coalition’s victory party at the Sofitel Wentworth Hotel in the CBD. He gave us some idea of the atmosphere as the booze flowed.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison was first on stage, the warm up act for the Premier.
“We’ll be back here in another two months celebrating another Liberal victory,” he said.
The crowd went ballistic chanting “ScoMo” repeatedly.
Former PM John Howard, the Premier’s sister Mary Berejiklian and sharply-dressed young Liberals gathered in the ballroom of the Sofitel — and there was a buoyant sense of relief in the air.
A Liberals spokesman told news.com.au earlier in the evening it still too early to call it, but as he did a young supporter in a polo shirt walked up to him, gave him a high five and said “Congrats, we did it! We must have won some bets right?”
There were drunken screams of “get off” at the big screen as Mr Daley thanked those who supported him.
Chants of “Gladys” and “four more years” then followed from the crowd, as fresh flutes of champagne and finger food was handed out to guests.
Ms Berejiklian then appeared to rapturous cheers from an extremely jubilant and sloshed-looking crowd of supporters.
Dressed in a mixture of sharp suits and bright blue Liberal t shirts, they cheered her on as she said: “We will continue to govern for all of you”.
Among the eruptions of screaming and applause, one man in a beige suit was even spotted jumping up and down like a child when Gladys said there had been a swing towards the government in certain seats.
MARK LATHAM’S BACK
Former Labor leader Mark Latham will make his return to elected politics as a One Nation member of the NSW upper house.
With the votes still being counted, early results indicate One Nation will pick up at least one upper house seat, the first of which would go to Mr Latham.
Legislative Council candidates had to grab only 4.54 per cent of the vote to gain one of 21 seats.
“We only ran in 12 Lower House seats so I’m keen to see what happens in the Legislative Council,” Mr Latham told Channel 7 tonight.
“At the moment we are tracking towards two quotas (Upper House seats) and when the metropolitan numbers are counted in the Legislative Council they are pretty encouraging.”
Mr Latham is a recent addition to Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party. Senator Hanson announced Mr Latham had joined her party and would be running in the state election last year. He was also recently a member of the Liberal Democrats, led by controversial Senator David Leyonhjelm.
Mr Latham previously spent 11 years as a federal MP representing the western Sydney electorate of Werriwa. He left parliament after his defeat as leader against then prime minister John Howard in the 2004 election.
DALEY SQUEEZES IN FINAL GAFFE
We thought we’d seen enough poor word choices from gaffe-prone Labor leader this week, but a defeated Michael Daley managed to squeeze in one more bizarre comment in his concession speech.
Praising the NSW LaborParty’s deputy leader Penny Sharpe, Mr Daley made a questionable choice of words.
“My deputy, my wonderful hardworking deputy Penny Sharpe. You’re an absolute trooper,” he said to applause.
“Penny is certainly an ornament to the party. I respect and admire you greatly, and I thank you for the work that you have done for us since you’ve been in parliament, but particularly for me in the last four months.”
It was the word “ornament” that viewers watching his speech at home picked up on.
“Did Michael Daley call Penny Sharpe an ornament?” one viewer tweeted.
“Michael Daley calling Penny Sharpe an ornament is the biggest bum note of the night for me #tonedeaf,” wrote another.
“Michael Daley called Penny Sharpe ‘an ornament’ and every woman and supportive man in the room and across the state cringed.”
NSW Labor MP Jodi McKay, who was appearing on the ABC’s live election coverage as Mr Daley made his speech, did not let the comment go unnoticed.
“Michael’s speech was very gracious, although I think he called Penny and ornament. I wasn’t so sure about that,” Ms McKay said.
DALEY CONCEDES DEFEAT BUT WANTS TO REMAIN LEADER
NSW Labor leader Michael Daley phoned Ms Berejiklian to formally concede defeat despite the eventual numbers still being uncertain.
However, while it’s still up in the air if the Coalition will win the 47 seats it needs to govern outright, it’s certain Labor can’t.
“A short time ago I called the Premier and congratulated her on her victory. Even though the result is still not finally certain.
“I became the leader of the Labor Party 134 days ago. I had a short time to do what I needed to do. I thought that would be enough time to get across the state and certainly we have done about 10,000km or more in our big red bus, but it just wasn’t long enough,” he said.
“But I can tell you that it is my intention to remain the leader of the party.”
And then he said he was off for a beer: “It seems like a very, very long time indeed since I’ve been able to have a drink or two with friends. I can’t remember the last time I did it so I think I might react myself with that enjoyable experience now.”
ALAN JONES’ DIG AT LABOR LEADER
It was probably the high point of Labor’s election campaign. When Mr Daley took on 2GB radio host Alan Jones and told him bluntly that if the ALP won the election, the entire board of the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust would be dismissed, including him. That was because it was the SCG Trust that was championing the demolition of the Sydney Football Stadium which Labor opposes.
“If I’m elected, the board will go,” Mr Daley told Jones. “Sorry about the SCG Trust, thanks for your service.”
Well Jones threw the comment back in his face on Channel 7’s election coverage.
Talking about what he would say on his show on Monday, the shock jock said he would end his monologue thus: “To you Michael Daley I have one observation, thank you for your service”.
Ouch.
DEPUTY PREMIER ‘LOST FOR WORDS’
NSW Nationals leader and Deputy Premier John Barilaro has spoken at his election bash, and he was very excited.
“I’m lost for words and that isn’t me,” he told the crowd in his seat of Monaro in south east NSW that was considered a target for the Shooters.
“I’m humbled by the people of Monaro to put their trust in me for a third term.”
But while Mr Barilaro is happy, the party may yet lose a seat to SFF to add to Orange which they previously lost in a by-election.
LABOR’S CAMPAIGN WENT ‘OFF THE RAILS’
The ABC’s Barrie Cassidy has said Labor’s campaign failed to rev up and actually went backwards.
“After a very difficult period for the Coalition I think Gladys Berejiklian has been able to arrest that trend in at least in NSW,” Cassidy said.
“In the last week or two, Labor’s campaign went off the rails a bit. So while I think Gladys Berejiklian has done very well, Labor has done poorly in Sydney, in some of those metropolitan seats and in the country, the only gains — big gains have been made by the Shooters.”
Michael Daley bumbled through the final week failing to shine in the leaders debate and he suffered from comments that were unearthed that appeared to suggest “Asians with PhDs” were taking jobs in Sydney.
SUBDUED ATMOSPHERE AT LABOR’S MAIN SHINDIG
There’s a very subdued atmosphere at Labor’s election party in Coogee in Sydney’s east, News.com.au reporter Benjamin Graham said early on Saturday evening.
There’s low level chatter in the mostly empty Selina’s function room as Labor members stare up at a big screen, anxiously waiting the first results.
Although the mood is starting to pick up as a live country duo is rattling through some old time classics.
Boldly, Labor are holding their bash in an electorate held by the Liberals. But everyone assumes the seat of Coogee will fall.
NSW SET FOR MINORITY LIBERAL RULE
Gladys Berejiklian is set to be returned as NSW premier, but her Liberal/National coalition government will lose its majority, a Nine/Galaxy Exit poll from earlier this evening indicated.
The poll of marginal seats shows a swing to Labor of 2.3 per cent, but it’s not enough for it to win the 47 seats needed to form a majority government the 93-seat parliament.
The exit poll shows a 50/50 two-party preferred split, with the Berejiklian government losing six of its 52 seats.
Two of those would be in Sydney, while the other four are in regional NSW. Labor needs to pick up 13 seats in Saturday’s election to clinch an outright majority, but the exit poll indicates that is unlikely.
A special Newspoll, published in The Weekend Australian, suggested the coalition was ahead of Labor 51-49 on a two-party preferred basis.
TREASURER ADMITS COALITION ‘HASN’T GOT EVERYTHING RIGHT’
NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet has had his own burst of honesty admitting Sydneysiders are fed up with much of it being a building site.
“There have been challenges. We haven’t got everything right over the last eight years,” Mr Perrottet said on the ABC.
“Sydney is under construction and it’s inconvenient and no doubt many major projects have not opened but overall we believe that NSW is a better place today than it was eight years ago.”
The Liberals are expecting to lose the seat of Coogee, in the city’s east, where the light rail — or lack of it being completed — has been a huge frustration.
STADIUMS MAY NOT HAVE BEEN THE BEST ISSUE FOR LABOR
Labor battled hard on the controversial demolition of the Sydney Football Stadium, in the city’s east, with Opposition Leader Michael Daley saying the cash should have been spent on schools instead.
But a Nine poll asking voters what their most important issues were found stadiums was way, way down the list.
Only 12 per cent of those polled said stadiums were a big issue. And the Federal Government’s woes only came in at 14 per cent.
For NSW voters it was hospitals, schools and transport that came top of the list.
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