NSW Election: Everything you need to know
The battle for power in NSW is on a knife’s edge as pre-polling opens across the state today. Here’s everything you need to know.
Polls have Labor and the Coalition neck-and-neck in the NSW State Election as pre-polling opens online and at dozens of polling centres across the state.
A poll commissioned by The Daily Telegraph in two Nationals-held seats suggested the party is 49-51 against Labor in Lismore and against the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers in Barwon.
Another Sun-Herald-commissioned poll, suggests the Coalition trails Labor 49-51 statewide.
It follows the official campaign launches of the two major parties on Sunday, with both Labor and Liberal focusing on education and health.
Here’s everything you need to know going into the final two weeks of the campaign.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Today:
Voting for the state election opened at 8am today with some 1.5 million people expected to vote before election day.
Saturday, March 16:
Early voting available
9am to 5pm
Friday, March 22:
Early voting period closes
6pm
Declared facility voting period closes
6pm
Saturday, March 23:
Election day
8am to 6pm
Wednesday, March 27:
Close of return of postal vote ballot papers
6pm
Wednesday, April 3:
Estimated Legislative Assembly Declaration of results
WHERE AND HOW TO VOTE
For information on early voting and your nearest voting centres, head to the NSW Electoral Commission website.
SEATS TO WATCH
CITY
COOGEE (Liberal)
* MP: Bruce Notley-Smith (since 2011)
* Margin: 2.9 per cent
* Biggest threat: local councillor Marjorie O’Neill (Labor)
* Labor had held the seat since 1974 until the 2011 election
EAST HILLS (Liberal)
* MP: Glenn Brookes (since 2011)
* Margin: 0.2 per cent
* Biggest threat: Cameron Murphy (Labor)
* Labor had held the seat since 1953 until the 2011 election
REGIONAL
LISMORE (Nationals)
* MP: Thomas George (since 1999), retiring
* National candidate: Austin Curtin
* Margin: 2.9 per cent
* Biggest threat: local lawyer Sue Higginson (Greens)
* The Nationals have held the seat since 1981
TWEED (Nationals)
* MP: Geoff Provest (since 2007)
* Margin: 3.2 per cent
* Biggest threat: Former policeman Craig Elliot (Labor)
* The Nationals have held the seat since 2007
UPPER HUNTER (Nationals)
* MP: Michael Johnsen
* Margin: 2.2 per cent
* Biggest threat: Labor is yet to confirm a new candidate after Martin Rush resigned amid assault allegations in January
* The Nationals have held the seat since 1981
MONARO (Nationals)
* MP: Deputy Premier John Barilaro
* Margin: 2.5 per cent
* Biggest threat: Bryce Wilson (Labor)
* The Nationals have held Monaro since 2011, before which Labor had held the seat since 2003
BALLINA (Greens)
* MP: Tamara Smith
* Margin: 3.1 per cent
* Biggest threat: Upper house MP Ben Franklin (Nationals)
* The Greens wrestled Ballina from the Nationals for the first time in 2015. The Nationals had previously held the seat since it was created in 1988
WHAT’S HAPPENED SINCE THE 2015 NSW ELECTION?
* Disgraced former NSW Labor MLC Eddie Obeid was in 2016 sentenced to a minimum three years in jail for wilful misconduct in public office.
* Former NSW Labor MLC Ian Macdonald was in 2017 jailed for a minimum seven years after being found guilty of two counts of wilful misconduct in public office. In February 2018 his conviction was quashed and he will face a retrial.
* Then-NSW premier Mike Baird announced a ban on greyhound racing in August 2016, which he backflipped on some two months later.
* A new emergency services tax to replace the emergency services levy on household insurance policies was announced in 2015. The government backed down on the plan in 2017.
* Mr Baird quit politics in January 2017 citing family health challenges and after copping criticism over his controversial council mergers, lockout laws and the greyhounds backflip.
* Then-treasurer Gladys Berejiklian stepped up to the top job and was officially sworn in on January 23 in 2017.
* The NSW government in late-2015 planned to merge 35 local councils but by mid-2017 abandoned plans to forcibly merge regional councils and 14 Sydney councils.
* Ms Berejiklian’s decision in late 2017 to knock down and rebuild ANZ and Allianz stadiums at a cost of $2.5 billion caused an immediate backlash. In early 2018 she backed down and chose to refurbish ANZ stadium instead.
* The Sydney light rail project has been bungled with several cost blowouts, ongoing delays, a protracted legal battle and a class action.
* State budgets focused on getting first homeowners into the market with stamp duty concessions and foreign investors hit with extra property surcharges.
* Australia’s competition watchdog is challenging a deal made by the NSW government when it privatised Port Botany and Port Kembla claiming it was anti-competitive and illegal.
* Labor leader Luke Foley resigned as leader in November 2018 after an ABC journalist claimed he groped her during a parliamentary staff Christmas party.
* Mr Foley’s deputy, Michael Daley, was elected as the new Opposition leader.
* The NSW corruption watchdog is investigating donations received by the Labor Party at a fundraising dinner which were reportedly at the centre of an ICAC raid on Labor NSW’s head office in December 2018.
* The Premier refused to buckle to pressure to implement pill testing after five suspected drug overdose deaths at NSW festivals over four months. She imposed a new licensing scheme instead.
FIVE BIG ISSUES FOR THE NSW ELECTION
COST OF LIVING
* Both the Coalition government and the Labor opposition have announced policies aimed at driving down Sydney’s high cost of living.
* The government has introduced stamp duty concessions for first home buyers and Service NSW which is a streamlined access point for several state services.
* The Opposition has promised to make public transport free for schoolchildren and to scrap birth certificate fees.
STADIUMS
* A decision by Premier Gladys Berejiklian in 2017 to knock down and rebuild both Allianz and ANZ stadiums for $2 billion drew immediate criticism.
* The Labor opposition seized on the public backlash and began campaigning on the slogan “schools and hospitals before stadiums” — arguing the policy was a metaphor for the government’s wrong priorities.
* An online petition against the stadium’s policy garnered almost 220,000 signatures.
* In March 2018 the government partially backed down on the plan by refurbishing ANZ Stadium at Olympic Park for $500 million less than a knockdown.
* The Opposition remains opposed to a knockdown of Allianz Stadium at Moore Park and is fighting the government in the Land and Environment Court in a bid to prevent its demolition.
HEALTH AND EDUCATION
* While schools and hospitals are at the core of Labor’s election campaign, the Berejiklian government has thrown billions at both sectors in recent weeks.
* The Coalition has committed to recruiting an extra 500 nurses and midwives (which Labor has promised to match) as well as spending almost $900 million to upgrade both St George and Ryde hospitals.
* Labor has promised to aircondition every school in NSW, taking $300 million from the government’s stadium spend and adding it to $500 million that was allocated by the Liberals to the policy.
* Labor has also promised free TAFE for skills shortage areas and an extra 50 schools. It’s also pledged to improve nurse to patient ratios and recruit 250 extra security staff at public hospitals.
LIGHT RAIL
* Several cost blowouts, ongoing delays and a protracted legal battle have dogged the Sydney to eastern suburbs light rail project.
* Originally set for completion in early 2019 (before the state election) at a cost of $1.6 billion, it’s now due to be completed by May 2020 for at least $2.1 billion.
MINOR PARTIES
* Having already wrestled Orange from the government in a 2016 by-election, the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party are eyeing other regional seats held by the Nationals, including Barwon and Murray.
* The Greens are in a battle to retain their only regional seat of Ballina. The party holds the north coast seat with a 3.1 per cent margin. The party is tipped to hold onto Newtown (8.7 per cent) and Balmain (4.7 per cent).
* Former federal Labor leader Mark Latham is hoping to re-enter politics as a One Nation candidate for the NSW upper house. One Nation is also running several candidates in city and regional Legislative Assembly seats.
* Outgoing federal Liberal Democrat Senator David Leyonhjelm is also running for the Legislative Council.
CURRENT MAKEUP OF THE NSW PARLIAMENT
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY (93 seats)
Coalition: 52
Labor: 34
Greens: 3
Shooters: 1
Independents: 3
WHAT LABOR NEEDS TO FORM GOVERNMENT
* Labor must win 13 lower house seats to govern in its own right.
* Labor insiders believe they need a 9 per cent swing to claw back those seats.
* The coalition will be forced into minority government if it loses six seats or more.
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL (42 seats)
Coalition: 20
Labor: 12
Greens: 5
Christian Democrats: 2
Shooters: 2
Animal Justice: 1
NSW MINOR PARTIES AND INDEPENDENTS
SHOOTERS, FISHERS AND FARMERS PARTY
* The Nationals’ biggest regional rival is eyeing several lower house seats, including Barwon and Murray, having already claimed Orange in a 2016 by-election.
* The party holds two seats in the upper house including one for leader Robert Borsak.
GREENS
* The Greens should retain Newtown and Balmain in Sydney but are facing a fierce fight in Ballina.
* Tamara Smith holds Ballina with a margin of 3.1 per cent with both Labor and the Nationals attempting to wrestle the north coast seat from the Greens.
* Factional infighting — which led to the resignation of upper house MP Jeremy Buckingham — could hurt the party’s primary vote.
ONE NATION
* Former federal Labor leader Mark Latham is headlining One Nation’s push into NSW politics.
* Mr Latham is running for the a seat in the NSW upper house while the party is fielding scores of candidates across NSW lower house seats.
LIBERAL DEMOCRATS
* David Leyonhjelm is quitting his role as a federal senator in a bid to enter the NSW upper house.
* The Liberal Democrats are also expected to run more than a dozen candidates in lower house seats.
JEREMY BUCKINGHAM
* The former Greens MP quit the party amid a sustained push by factional rivals to have him ousted over an alleged 2011 indecent assault on a party staff member.
* Mr Buckingham, who is running as an “independent real green” for a spot in the upper house, has campaigned heavily against coal seam gas and raised concerns about the recent fish kills at Menindee.
POLITICIANS RETIRING AT THE NSW ELECTION
NSW LIBERAL PARTY
* Wollondilly MP Jai Rowell
* Camden MP Chris Patterson
* Goulburn MP and the Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Social Housing, and Family and Community Services Pru Goward
* Albury MP Greg Aplin
* East Hills MP Glenn Brookes
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY NSW
* Auburn MP Luke Foley
NSW NATIONALS
* Dubbo MP, Police and Emergency Services Minister Troy Grant
* Lismore MP Thomas George
* Coffs Harbour MP Andrew Fraser
* Barwon MP Kevin Humphries
SHOOTERS, FISHERS AND FARMERS PARTY
* Upper house MP Robert Brown
FACTS AND FIGURES BEHIND THE ELECTION
* The NSW Electoral Commission starts planning for a state election at least 18 months in advance.
* Election staff will visit nearly 600 nursing homes, aged care facilities and hospitals before election day.
* Nearly 4000 pieces of furniture, 2500 computers, 987,000 forms and stationary kits, 93 kettles, 82,995 pens, 930 canvas ballot boxes and 335,340 bulldog clips are being delivered to 93 election managers’ offices across NSW.
* A major call centre has been set up in Sydney with officers expected to answer about 170,000 phone calls in the lead up to the election. By March 23 there will be up to 100 officers working at the centre.
* Decommissioning election venues takes up to two weeks.
THE NUMBERS
* Nearly 5.3 million enrolled voters across 93 electorates
* More than 2500 individual voting venues
* About 1000 candidates
* More than 20,000 election workers
* 28 million ballot papers will be printed
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