Berejiklian glosses over swings as Liberals limp home in by-elections

The Liberals took Manly and North Sydney on preferences while Labor easily won the NSW central coast seat of Gosford.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian with new North Shore MP Felicity Wilson, left, and Manly winner James Griffin. Picture: Annika Enderborg

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has put a gloss on big swings against her government in three state by-elections, but accepts she needs to listen to voters and “never take the community for granted”.

Ms Berejiklian was speaking after state Liberal candidates only won the two previously safe Liberal­ seats of Manly and North Shore at the weekend with preference votes.

The seats, vacated by former premier Mike Baird and health minister Jillian Skinner, had been held by the Liberals with margins of up to 25 per cent.

Labor easily won the third by-election in the NSW central coast seat of Gosford, scoring a 12.2 per cent swing against the government with its star candidate, Paralympian Liesl Tesch.

Gosford has turned from a “knife-edge” seat at the 2015 election to a potentially safe one for Labor.

Ms Berejiklian, after admitting beforehand that she was bracing for “huge swings” to vent voter dissatisfaction but without tipping the government from office, said yesterday she was “relieved” because­ her party had performed better than expected.

The Premier noted that Labor did not field candidates in Manly or North Shore, and claimed the Liberals’ candidate to replace Mr Baird in Manly, James Griffin, scored a higher primary vote than Mr Baird at his first election a decade­ ago.

Ms Berejiklian accused Labor of “spinning” Gosford as a great result­ when it was the ALP’s worst in the area from opposition for a decade — despite union resources and $150,000 extra campaign spending for Ms Tesch.

“I anticipated a swing against the government far in excess of that,” Ms Berejiklian said.

On primary votes, before preferences, the swings away from the government were 24 per cent in Manly, 15.5 per cent in North Shore and 12.2 per cent in Gosford. The Liberal-held seats improved their standing with preference counts.

The three by-elections came mid-term for the NSW Coalition government, with the next state election not due until March 2019.

But they were the first electoral test for Ms Berejiklian, who took charge in late January after the sudden resignation of Mr Baird. Much of the Premier’s task since then has been to rebuild voter support, after Mr Baird was dragged down by a multiplicity of community protests over forced council mergers, a greyhound racing ban, pub lockout laws, north coast shark attacks and disruption over the WestConnex road project.

Ms Berejiklian said the by-elect­ions had given her a chance to talk to voters. “Sometimes you have to take the venting,” she said. “Sometimes you have to listen to people who don’t agree with you, and that’s my job.”

Labor Opposition Leader Luke Foley said he was delighted to welcom­e Ms Tesch to the NSW parliament as the “golden girl of Gosford”. Ms Tesch, a local schoolteacher, won gold at the Rio Paralympics and will be the first NSW MP to use a wheelchair.

Mr Foley said the Premier had to accept some responsibility for “the brutal judgments that people have made against her and her government in three state seats”.

Recalling the results of three by-elections last year, Mr Foley said the government had responde­d by changing premiers but had not changed direction.

“If Ms Berejiklian doesn’t face the truth, and doesn’t take some responsibility for what’s happened here, this government will be swept from office,” he said.