Infrastructure wins over ‘relaxed’ Western Sydney voters for Liberals

The Liberals’ multi-billion dollar investment in Western Sydney appears to have paid off with seats in the area, including Granville, looking better than expected.

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The Liberals’ mammoth ­investment in Western Sydney appeared to have paid off on Saturday evening in seats across the city’s suburban heartland.

The man many tipped to cop a big hit in the polls, Penrith Liberal MP and Minister for Sport and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres, ­retained the vital seat of Penrith.

This was despite Labor’s M4 cashback scheme, a policy which would offer financial relief for a significant number of Penrith residents.

Voters at polling places in Penrith. Picture: David Swift.

Gladys Berejiklian meets voters at Emu Plains Public School. Picture: David Swift.

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He was also expected to lose votes as the architect of the Liberals’ stadium policy.

Liberal seats Holsworthy, Seven Hills and Mulgoa also represented failures for Labor in Western Sydney.

Labor was also struggling to make significant headway in East Hills, a seat they had needed to win to pick up government.

David Borger, western Sydney director of the Sydney Business Chamber, said the Liberal’s strong showing in the area was because of ­infrastructure.

“Clearly Western Sydney wants infrastructure to continue and move forward,” he said.

“While Gladys might not necessarily be liked out in Western Sydney — which is mostly Labor — she is respected. Western Sydney people were also not that turned on by the stadiums issue; it is infrastructure that they really want.”

Labor leader Michael Daley meets Stuart Ayres in Penrith. Picture: David Swift.

Outgoing Liberal Upper House MP Peter Phelps, who did a lot of campaigning work for the Liberals in the western Sydney seat of East Hills, said: “People were not annoyed enough to vote us out.

“To use the John Howard phrase, people were comfortable and relaxed.”

Both NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Opposition Leader Michael Daley spent significant time in Western Sydney on Saturday, indicating how crucial the region is for both parties.

Michael Daley spent much of the day with Labor candidate Karen McKeown in Penrith. Ms Berejiklian also made a visit to Penrith, as well as the marginal seats of East Hills and Holsworthy.

Voters head to the polls in the crucial western Sydney seat of Lindsay. Picture: David Swift.

The Liberals ran on continuing to spend $16.8 billion to complete WestConnex, as well as investing in the Sydney Metro Northwest and Sydney Metro City and Southwest rail lines.

They also completed the rail line from Glenfield to Leppington in 2015 and have promised $1.9 billion for Allianz, Parramatta and Homebush stadiums.

Labor was promising to scrap the two remaining stadium projects. Labor ran on a platform of anti-overdevelopment in the region.

Kogarah MP Chris Minns said the Labor Party must do more to win back ethnic votes in the region.

“It’s not the old days of ethnic communities turning up to the polling booths in a robotic way voting for the Labor Party. They must reconnect with those communities.”