NSW Opposition Leader can learn from Abbott, says Arbib

Labor powerbroker Mark Arbib has advised his NSW state colleagues to model themselves on Tony Abbott if they want to be an effective opposition

Labor powerbroker Mark Arbib has advised his NSW state colleagues to model themselves on Tony Abbott if they want to be an effective opposition.

The federal Sports Minister, who was instrumental in the political assassination of Kevin Rudd and installing Julia Gillard as Prime Minister, said new NSW Labor leader John Robertson should look to the federal Coalition leader.

He said that to move forward Mr Robertson had to focus on presenting a unified front and on keeping the NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell to account.

"They've just got to focus and get back on the basics," he told Australian Agenda on Sky News.

"I think Tony Abbott has provided a decent model for John Robertson to follow."

Senator Arbib was the general secretary of the NSW Labor Party between 2004 and 2007 and campaign director for the party's success at the 2007 election.

He said the significant loss at the NSW election was the low point for state Labor, where it sustained a 13.4 per cent swing and lost 30 of 50 seats.

"The thing that really disappoints me most is we did a lot of things as a government over the 16 years and most of that, the parts of the record which are good have just been completely wiped away," he said.

"When I started in NSW politics in the Labor Party office, the three big issues you always dealt with in terms of state politics was hospitals, schools and police.

"And in the last campaign they were barely mentioned because the government had done a fantastic job."

Senator Arbib later released a statement saying that although Mr Abbott was an effective Opposition Leader his "negative messages and scare campaigns" would be disastrous if he were ever prime minister.