The fight of her life as Gladys Berejiklian prepared to battle

It was the fight of her political career, but Premier Gladys Berejiklian was always going face an uphill battle with voters not having granted a Coalition government a third term in almost half a century. Linda Silmalis goes inside the Liberal party war room.

• Gladys: 'Thank you to the people of this great state'
• Alan Jones sinks boot into Daley over stadium blue

She was always going to face an uphill ­battle with voters who had not ­granted a Coalition government a third term in almost half a century but Gladys Berejiklian is nothing if not a fighter.

After becoming the first elected ­female premier of NSW, the former treasurer said she would work her “guts out” to reward the faith voters had shown in her government.

“First and foremost, I want to thank the people of this great state for having confidence in me and my government,” Ms Berejiklian said after claiming victory last night.

“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 said her priorities would be to continue to provide a strong budget for the projects, infrastructure and services for the state.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on a visit to the western Sydney seat of Sydney takes a guess at how many lollies are in the jar with sisters Ellen and Lorelei Wells. Picture: David Swift.

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Despite presiding over the strongest economy in the nation and having poured billions into infrastructure, she had faced a number of problems going into the poll.

Among the issues weighing heavily on voters’ minds were soaring living costs, a gridlocked city made worse by construction, overdevelopment, a light rail blowout and a drought that exposed serious issues with regard to water management.

An aggressive Labor campaign questioning the government’s ­priorities given the cost of the stadium rebuild put the Coalition — not helped by a bland campaign — on the back foot.

Strategists had predicted a fight given the Liberal brand damage from the federal leadership debacle — the dumping of former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull was expected to “bleed” 2 per cent of the Liberal vote — while the messy affair of ex-­Nationals ­leader Barnaby Joyce had driven away women.

Ms Berejiklian pictured on the final part of her campaign trail at Revesby Public School yesterday. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

With the powerful Labor Right faction re-energised after installing one of its own in Michael Daley, following the resignation of former Left-wing leader Luke Foley amid a sexual harassment claim, Liberal state director Chris Stone turned to his former boss John Howard.

As The Sunday Telegraph revealed in January, the former prime minister would become a key player in the campaign to keep the Berejiklian Government in power — a feat not achieved since Robert Askin secured a third term for the Coalition in 1971.

Mr Howard’s early pieces of advice included for the Premier to “ignore the noise” and remain focused on her message, no matter what unfolded.

While focus group research conducted last year found the Premier to be trusted and respected among voters, many felt they did not “know” her in the way they had known Mike Baird.

It was decided that the fiercely private Ms Berejiklian needed to drop her guard, a move that resulted in the media being granted greater access to her family, with her biggest disclosure the loss of her twin sister.

With the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party posing a threat in the bush on the back of its Orange by-election victory, it was decided that the “father of gun laws” Mr Howard would ­record a hard-hitting political advertisement.

Ms Berejiklian shakes hands with constituents during a visit to Revesby Public School. Picture: Lukas Coch

The ad was scheduled to air in the bush and cities last Friday or Saturday, a week after Mr Daley gained momentum for his own anti-stadium message after sensationally “sacking” the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust board during an interview with radio host Alan Jones.

Filmed days before the Jones ­interview, the advertisements targeted preference deals between Labor and the Shooters. Hours before they were to air, the party pulled the ads as news broke of the New Zealand terror attacks. In a somewhat risky move, it was decided the advertisements would air last Sunday night.

While the Christchurch tragedy was still fresh, the justification was that talk in the aftermath had quickly turned to gun laws. One senior Liberal strategist said the advertisements had a profound ­effect.

“The message was always going to go out, but the attacks in New Zealand gave us an engaged audience. What we were saying was relevant,” the strategist said.

“The whole mood changed. The debate moved from stadiums to ­security, and here was John Howard, the father of gun laws, warning about voting for the Shooters who want to weaken gun laws, and who were also being ­preferenced by Labor.”

Pushing the message, Mr Howard made an appearance in the marginal Liberal seat of Penrith where he was greeted like a rock star. So overwhelming was the response that a Liberal strategist offered to charter a plane to enable Mr Howard to visit every marginal seat in the state.

However, the 79-year-old declined, declaring he was “too old”.

Former prime minister John Howard and Phillip Ruddock arrive at the Sofitel Wentworth as Gladys Berejiklian prepared to declare victory. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

The momentum Labor had after the explosive Jones interview was ­further broken after Ms Berejiklian ­finally tackled the festering sore of the stadiums issue head-on after refusing to mention the “s-word” for 48 hours after the broadcast.

“She didn’t want to give it oxygen but, as the media knows, the more someone doesn’t want to talk about something, the more the media wants them to talk about it,” the strategist said. “So after 48 hours she decided to front-foot it.”

The Premier declared the reason the Coalition was rebuilding stadiums was because the state could afford it, while also spending money on hospitals and schools — it was not an ­“either or” proposition.

With Labor’s momentum broken, the Liberal dirt unit finally had a win with its release of a video of Mr Daley warning a predominantly Anglo Blue Mountains pub audience of his concerns at Asians taking the jobs of younger Australians.

Liberal supporters reacts as Leader Gladys Berejiklian declares victory at the Sofitel Wentworth. Picture: Mick Tsikas

Whether or not it shifted votes, the psychological impact on Mr Daley was evident in the lead-up to the televised debate with Ms Berejiklian in The Daily Telegraph’s People Forum just three days before the election.

While most agreed Ms Berejiklian would have stood down in the event of a devastating loss, ministers and strategists are divided as to what she ­would have done in the event of a minority government.

“She is made of steel,” a senior Liberal source said. “Only a loss would see her go.”

Another Liberal minister claimed this would be the final term for Ms Berejiklian no matter what.

“I think she’ll do a Mike Baird and leave halfway through the term,” the minister said.