Baird wins second term in NSW

Mike Baird is heavily favoured to be returned as NSW premier as voters go to the polls today. Source: AAP

MIKE Baird will lead the coalition in a second term of government, after a convincing win in Saturday’s NSW election.  

THE Liberal and National parties have won the 47 seats needed to claim government in the 93-seat state parliament.

Mr Baird and his wife Kerryn have arrived at the Sofitel hotel in the city where the Liberal party is holding its election function. Shadow treasurer Michael Daley congratulated Mr Baird. “We expected to be in opposition … we congratulate them and Mike Baird,” he told the Seven Network. “He is riding a wave of popularity and the state has said they are not ready for Labor to return.”

Earlier, former Labor leader Carmel Tebbutt said the party had not expected to win. Ms Tebbutt said Labor had anticipated picking up between 10 and 15 seats, and had not expected to get back into power. “We want our base, our heartland to come back to us. It’s about renewal, new candidates, new people in the party, in the Parliament, and I think we will see that.” Labor had faced a difficult task to return to power after being reduced to just 20 seats at the 2011 whitewash. The ABC has Labor with 33 seats at 8.30pm.

They have won back several of the seats lost at the last election – including But they are in trouble in East Hills and Oatley. The inner-city seats of Balmain and Newtown – where the main contest is between the Greens and Labor – are also very close. Opposition Leader Luke Foley – who took on the job in January after John Robertson stood down – is expected to officially concede at Labor’s function at the Catholic Club in Lidcombe.

Federal Labor MP Anthony Albanese said gave Mr Baird the credit for the government’s victory, saying he had done much better than his predecessor Barry O’Farrell would have done. “The Liberal Party is lucky that that bottle of Grange happened,” he told the Nine Network. Mr O’Farrell resigned last April after giving misleading evidence to the ICAC over a $3000 bottle of wine.

An ABC analyst has predicted that the coalition will have an overall majority of 15 seats in the 93 seat parliament.

source:theaustralian.com