O'Farrell's gonna win, but keep a lid on it

THE challenge facing Barry O'Farrell is: Don't say anything controversial, and keep a lid on celebrations.

THE challenge facing Barry O'Farrell and his team this week is twofold: Don't say anything remotely controversial, and try to keep a lid on the celebrations.

The Coalition knows it is going to win. Labor knows the Coalition will win. The voting public knows the Coalition will win.

Indeed, Mr O'Farrell's relentless insistence that the "race is not yet over" has started to take on an almost patronising tone.

But with the Coalition's greatest fear being a kind of reverse protest vote from people who want Labor out but are concerned about the size of the Coalition's majority, Mr O'Farrell remains wary of talking up his party's chances.

"This time next week, I'd like to be premier. This time next week, the people of NSW will have spoken," was the Opposition Leader's cautious response yesterday when asked if was excited about his impending victory.

Mr O'Farrell spent yesterday on the NSW Central Coast, where the Coalition hopes to wrest up to six seats from Labor.

Delivering a 20-minute speech to 200 members of the party faithful at the Mingara Recreation Club in Tumbi Umbi, he pledged to fix public transport and clamp down on law and order issues, announcing an additional 550 police and 100 highway patrol officers.

But with the central theme of this election being disenchantment with Labor first, and scrutiny of the Coalition's policies a distant second, Mr O'Farrell spent as much time highlighting Labor's "culture of lies" as he did outlining his own vision for the state.

In a departure from the small- target strategy, Mr O'Farrell seized upon the unpopularity of federal Labor's carbon tax, promising to take that particular fight "all the way to Canberra".

"We all know that promises have been made before, the 'gonna' approach to politics that Labor always engages in," he said.

"We're gonna do better next time, just give us another chance. We're gonna improve hospitals. We're gonna finally build that school. We're gonna finally fix that road.

"We've had enough of the gonnas. We need government to be held accountable."

But any hubris was kept well at bay. "I know, as a parent, if you reward bad behaviour, expect more of it," he said, sending a warning to an audience that did not need it.

And with that the crowd offered three cheers and a standing ovation to the next state premier. Nothing controversial, but keeping a lid on the celebrations will get progressively harder as Saturday draws near.