NSW Premier Mike Baird tweets ‘Knock yourselves out (I almost did!) after falling down stairs and fracturing vertebrae

PREMIER Mike Baird will hobble into parliament today to oversee his controversial greyhound legislation despite fracturing a vertebrae in a fall at home.

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PREMIER Mike Baird has revealed he fractured a vertebrae in a fall at home on Saturday night.

No surgery will be required but Mr Baird is expecting a long period of recovery and discomfort from the injury.

The Premier did no go to hospital and will even attend a parliamentary debate on his controversial greyhound bill today.

NSW Premier Mike Baird heads to work after fracturing his vertebrae. Picture: Virginia Young

The x-ray of Mike Baird’s fractured vertebrae. Picture: Facebook

He was fetching a glass of water late Saturday when he slipped down a set of stairs in the dark, wearing socks and did not notice something was wrong until Sunday.

Typically Mr Baird took to social media to share the news and a scan of his cracked vertebrae.

“Note to self: when fetching a glass of water late at night, don’t walk down the stairs in your socks with the lights out,” his post read.

“Diagnosis: fractured vertebrae.

“Prognosis: slowish recovery but no need for surgery

“Yeah, I know… The punchlines for this pretty much write themselves… Knock yourselves out (I almost did!).”

The punchline for this basically writes itself. https://t.co/gYQ8mLoQ7I pic.twitter.com/0QlwZxISPC

— Mike Baird (@mikebairdMP) August 22, 2016

A spokesman for Mr Baird’s office said he was “sore but mobile”.

“He walking down stairs and it was dark, he landed straight on his tail bone,” the spokesman said.

“He’ll be walking into Parliament today and speaking on the greyhound bill.”

Mr Baird’s Facebook page was immediately flooded with comments, most of them sympathetic.

“Now showing my friends scientific proof Mike Baird does have a back bone!! All the best in recovery,” Patrick Moore wrote.

Chris O’Loughlin said “careful - the haters will start blaming you for having no vision!”.

“Hope the paramedics looked after you because you’re not looking after them,” Phillip James snarled.

This comes as up to four government MPs are expected to revolt against Mr Baird’s greyhound racing ban when it is introduced to the lower house today.

NSW Premier Mike Baird will face some opposition today over the greyhound racing ban. Picture: Virginia Young

It is understood Nationals MPs Katrina Hodgkinson and Chris Gulaptis will join Kevin Humphries in crossing the floor when it is voted on.

A National party source said Ms Hodgkinson and Mr Gulaptis have told colleagues they would cross the floor, and another MP would abstain.

National Party MPs Melinda Pavey, Andrew Fraser and Stephen Bromhead are all said to be unhappy with the ban.

Mr Humphries announced his plan to vote against the government in a press conference last week.

“Not only will I vote against it, I will speak against it,” Mr Humphries said.

“I didn’t join the National Party to implement Greens and Animal Justice policy.”

In the press conference Mr Humphries, a former minister, said the National Party could have done more to save the $350 million industry.

“The National Party is the most powerful minority party in this country and we are not exercising that in this case,” Mr Humphries said.

Ms Hodgkinson and Mr Gulaptis have not responded to requests for comment.

The legislation passed the upper house two weeks ago, with MPs voting 19-12 in favour of it.

Mr Baird will still have the numbers to pass the legislation in the lower house, even if four Nationals MPs cross the floor or abstain from the vote.

One Nationals source indicated that up to four MPs could cross the floor and two could abstain.

Labor sources said that two of their MPs, Jo Haylen and Trish Doyle, might also abstain from the vote because they favour the ban.