Treasurer Dominic Perrottet frontrunner to replace Gladys Berejiklian as NSW Premier

The contest is on for who should replace Gladys Berejiklian, with one top contender and several other names in the mix.

The contest is on for who should replace Gladys Berejiklian as NSW Premier, with Liberal state MPs heading for a crucial vote on Tuesday.

The person long seen as the top contender is Treasurer Dominic Perrottet, however names like Stuart Ayres and Rob Stokes have been mentioned by Liberal sources as well.

Neither the Treasurer nor Mr Ayres, the Jobs Minister, or Mr Stokes, the Planning Minister, have formally put their hands up yet.

Ms Berejiklian’s shock resignation on Friday – after a corruption watchdog announced she was under investigation – will trigger a party room vote in four days.

Treasurer Dominic Perrottet is seen as a likely frontrunner. Picture: AAP Image/Dean Lewins/POOL/via NCA NewsWire

That means all Liberal members of the NSW parliament will get to cast their vote for who should be Premier and leader of the party.

As Treasurer, Mr Perrottet is the second-highest ranking Liberal in the NSW parliament. Ms Berejiklian held the same position before she was chosen as Premier in 2017.

The 39-year-old Catholic and father-of-six is the leader of the party’s right faction, whereas Ms Berejiklian belongs to the moderate faction.

He said Friday was “an incredibly sad day for NSW”.

“The interests of the people of NSW must always come first, and the priority for the government is to ensure we continue to keep people safe, and that we reopen the economy and get people back to work, kids back to school, and life back to normal as fast as possible,” the Treasurer said.

“Over the coming days I will be talking to my family and colleagues about how I can best serve the people of NSW to continue to achieve these aims.

Mr Stokes and Mr Ayres are both moderates as well, and could reportedly benefit from the decision by a centre-right alliance, led by Police Minister David Elliott, to withdraw support from Mr Perrottet.

Stuart Ayres and Rob Stokes are two names that have been floated as contenders. Photographer: Adam Yip

In return, Mr Elliott could be in the running for deputy party leader, a position that will be voted on at the same party room meeting.

If MPs can agree in advance on who should take either of the top positions, no vote will be needed.

Matt Kean, the Environment Minister and leader of the moderate faction, has also been mentioned as a possible candidate for deputy leader.

Ms Berejiklian indicated in her resignation speech that she will only formally resign once a new party leader has been chosen.

“My resignation will take effect as soon as the NSW Liberal party can elect a new Parliamentary leader,” she said.

However if she formally resigns before Tuesday, Deputy Premier and Nationals leader John Barilaro would become Acting Premier in her stead.

Moderate allies Matt Kean and Rob Stokes are in the mix.

Mr Barilaro said in a statement he wished Ms Berejiklian “all the best for her future”.

“Any speculation regarding Liberal Party leadership remains an issue for the Liberal Party,” he said.

The gambling site Sportsbet began taking bets on who would replace Ms Berejiklian shortly after she made her announcement, and Mr Perrottet was the clear favourite among punters with odds of $1.40 at the time of writing.

Mr Stokes was next in line at $2.85, followed by Mr Kean at $6 and Mr Ayres at $7.50.

Ms Berejiklian also said she will resign as MP, which will trigger a by-election in her seat of Willoughby.