Anna Caldwell: Asleep at the wheel Gladys is in danger

The alarm bells are officially ringing for Gladys Berejiklian. Loudly. For months, she and her team have been ambling along and it must stop now if they want to secure a third term.

The alarm bells are officially ringing for Gladys Berejiklian. Loudly.

For months, she and her team have been ambling along and it must stop now if they want to secure a third term.

Coogee’s Claire Rivera, pictured with husband Christopher and son Rafael, says voters are turning away from the Coalition. Picture: Dylan Robinson

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When they were crushed in the Wagga Wagga by-election, the government all but dismissed it as a hyper-local problem. When their federal counterparts trashed the Liberal brand with messages of chaos, the government all but dismissed that as a Canberra problem.

Meanwhile, in the background, ministers on Macquarie St bickered over who got what seat because one had too far to drive to work. News flash — voters will not accept this. And that’s Berejiklian’s problem.

The Premier and her team need to do something differently if they want to be sitting on the government benches come April. Berejiklian is working hard on the ground to connect to voters but today’s poll shows this is not translating and there are bigger forces at play.

Stunningly, even this week there were senior figures who still wanted to shrug off the Victorian defeat by saying: “We’re different here.” This arrogance is this government’s greatest weakness.

Berejiklian and co are right when they say they have a strong record on infrastructure and economic management. But this may not be enough. They could lose if they campaign on record alone.

The Liberal’s message has become much less clear than that of Labor. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

We know that Labor’s message is schools and hospitals before stadiums — a message that’s gaining traction even though NSW is plainly not facing a health or education crisis.

It’s much less clear what the narrative is for the Berejiklian government.

Today’s result will boost Labor’s morale after losing leader Luke Foley to scandal. If Michael Daley continues to build momentum he’s in this contest up to his boot straps.