Key Liberal heavyweights share frank admissions about the Party holding onto power in a worry sign for Premier Dominic Perrottet
- Liberals makes stark election predictions
- The coalition are fighting for a fourth term
Senior Liberal party members have issued stark warnings for the coalition as the first vote counts in the NSW state election trickle in.
NSW could be hours away from getting a new premier as the count begins across the state.
But NSW Treasurer Matt Kean made a bleak prediction for the Coalition, who are trying to win a fourth term in government.
After polling booths across the state closed, he said the ‘deck is stacked against us’.
NSW Treasurer Matt Kean made a bleak prediction for his party in Saturday’s state election
‘It would be a historic victory because it hasn’t been done before, four terms, so fighting the tide of history is like fighting gravity,’ he told the ABC.
‘The challenge for us was to present ourselves as a new government, not the reiteration of a 12-year-old government.
‘We really tried to demonstrate that we had fresh ideas.’
Meanwhile, NSW Transport Minister David Elliott said the early numbers were ‘not good news’ for the Liberal Party, as the first votes are counted.
NSW premier Dominic Perrottet pictured casting his vote on Saturday
‘There have been significant swings against us in western and north western Sydney and even in Castle Hill the Liberal vote is only 40 per cent with Labor at 35 and the Greens at 9,’ he told Channel 7’s election panel.
‘That suggests it could be an early night for a few people in western Sydney, but these are early days only one per cent of the electorate has been counted.
‘But it’s going to be a long night, and don’t forget there have been so many pre-polls this election.’
To win a majority government (47 seats), Labor needs to keep all their 38 seats and pick up another nine from the Coalition; however, the party believes it could also achieve a minority government with five seats.
NSW Transport Minister David Elliott said the early numbers were ‘not good news’ for the Liberal Party
Counting began at 6pm, after polling booths closed. The NSW Electoral Commission will also run a Virtual Tally Room from 6pm, where results will by published throughout the night.
What time will we get a result tonight?
Whether or not there is a clear result on Saturday night, the vote count will stop at 10.30pm and won’t resume till Monday.
In the event of a minority government – in which neither major party wins more than 47 seats – both Labor and the Coalition will need to get the support of the minor parties and Independents in order to create the next parliament.
Campaigning on the eve of the election, the Labor leader said he believed it would ‘come down to the wire’.
‘I do believe it’s going to be tight,’ he said.
‘Most NSW elections, except for a few here and there, are tight contests, and I think that we’ve always known that.’
