NSW election 2019 LIVE: Coalition wins third term as Labor concedes defeat

Tonight was a win for Gladys Berejiklian and minor parties including the Greens and the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers – who were polling strongly in early election results.

Labor failed to increase its vote across the state and will be mired in the wilds of opposition for another four years. To be fair, the ALP had been in power for 16 years before they were booted out of office in 2011.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian, flanked by her family, arrives at the Sofitel Wentworth in Sydney.Credit: James Brickwood

Berejiklian decamped her victory party at the Sofitel Wentworth in Sydney with characteristic swiftness after delivering a rousing (and, at times, emotional) speech to the party faithful.

It is not yet clear if she will retain a majority or form a minority government.

The state's upper house is expected to house a motley crew of MPs, including former federal Labor leader Mark Latham, who has led the revival of Pauline Hanson's One Nation party in NSW.

We'll be reporting live tomorrow as the count continues. 

Julia Gillard, the country's first female prime minister, has congratulated Premier Gladys Berejiklian on her historic election win.

Berejiklian is NSW's first elected female premier – Labor's Kristina Keneally did not lead her party to an election victory – and joins a small club of women who have held the country's highest political offices.

Gillard became the country's first female prime minister in June 2010, when she replaced Kevin Rudd after a leadership ballot. She did not contest the September 2013 election after being defeated by Rudd in a leadership ballot in June that year.

Carmen Lawrence made history in 1990 when she became the country's first female premier, in Western Australia, followed closely by Joan Kirner in Victoria.

Anna Bligh followed suit in Queensland in 2007 and Lara Giddings was Tasmanian premier from 2011 to 2014. In 2017, Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk became the first woman in Australian history to claim a second term as premier.

• The Coalition has won a historic third term and Gladys Berejiklian has become the state's first elected female premier, but it is not yet certain the Coalition will form a majority government.
• The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party were on track to increase their representation from one to three seats after a swing against the Nationals in the bush.
• Outspoken former federal Labor leader Mark Latham is poised to re-enter public office after his new party, Pauline Hanson's One Nation, picked up at least one spot in the NSW upper house.
• Labor is expected to wrest the seat of Coogee from the Liberals, ousting Bruce Notley-Smith.
• Opposition leader Michael Daley is "disappointed" in the result but has vowed to continue as ALP leader.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian fought back tears as she lauded NSW as "a state in which someone with a long surname – and a woman – can be the premier".

"I'm incredibly proud of the wonderful place in which we live. And what is most important to me is that, no matter what your background  – where you live, what your circumstances – everybody in this state has the chance to be their best."

Gladys Berejiklian hugs her sister Mary.Credit: James Brickwood

Before delivering her victory speech Berejiklian embraced her sister Mary, who has become something of a celebrity in her own right for her feisty take-down of online trolls who targeted her famous sister.

"Ladies and gentlemen, people of NSW, thank you so much. I look forward to working into the future. Thank you," she said, before decamping the Sofitel.

Gladys Berejiklian, the state's first elected female premier, has arrived at her victory party in Sydney to chants of "Gladys! Gladys! Gladys!" and "four more years".

"A short time ago I took a phone call from the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Daley, who conceded that the next government formed in NSW will be the Berejiklian-Barilaro government," she said to cheers at the Sofitel Wentworth ballroom.

"First and foremost, I want to thank the people of this great state for having confidence in me and my government."

Berejiklian said that "whether or not my government is a majority or minority government we will work closely with the three minority parties in the NSW government, which is so important for NSW".

In his concession speech, Opposition Leader Michael Daley said the election result is "still not finally certain" but he had called Premier Gladys Berejiklian and congratulated her on her victory.

"Sometimes we win them and sometimes we lose them," Daley said. 

Michael Daley voting at Chifley Public School on Saturday.Credit: Louise Kennerley

He said the Labor Party would continue to fight for a better NSW although "of course" he was disappointed in the result.

"I can tell you that it is my intention to remain the leader of the party," Daley said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison congratulates Berejiklian's team "on their extraordinary and disciplined and courageous result tonight" and says they have returned "good government to NSW once again".

Prime Minister Scott Morrison arrives at the ballroom of the Sofitel Wentworth in Sydney for celebrations.Credit: James Brickwood

As he faces a potential electoral loss in May, Morrison thanks the NSW Liberals "for the great advertisement you've been for the Liberal Party here in NSW".

Former Liberal prime minister John Howard, who joined Premier Gladys Berejkilian on the campaign trail, has arrived at her victory party in Sydney.

Former prime minister John Howard arrives at the Sofitel Wentworth in Sydney.Credit: James Brickwood

Howard appeared in election advertisements that warned a Labor government would come under "enormous pressure" from the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party to weaken gun laws because of a preference deal between them.

Berejiklian's sister Mary, who also appeared on the campaign trail as the Coalition sought to soften the premier's image, is also rubbing shoulders with Liberal luminaries tonight.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has arrived at Gladys Berejiklian's election night event at the Sofitel Wentworth hotel in Sydney as Opposition Leader Michael Daley concedes defeat.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison arrives at Gladys Berejiklian's election night event in Sydney.Credit: James Brickwood

It is the first time a woman has been elected premier of NSW. Berejiklian took the reins from former premier Mike Baird in January 2017 but had yet to face the electorate.

Kristina Keneally, now a Labor Senator, was the state's first female premier but was installed in the top job by her parliamentary colleagues before the ALP lost the 2011 election.

Labor's Chris Minns may retain the seat of Kogarah, after a nail-biting few hours for the future ALP leadership aspirant, but the result is still unclear.

Experts said Labor leader Michael Daley's remarks about "Asians with PhDs" hurt Minns' campaign in the seat, which has a 28 per cent Chinese constituency, but may not have dealt him a fatal blow.