NSW could be hours away from getting a new premier as the count begins across the state, with the Liberals potentially standing to lose eight to 10 seats.
Sky News reports that an early count has revealed that Riverstone and Goulbourn have recorded significant swings towards Labor swings.
In a major upset for the Coalition, the broadcaster has also made the call for Parramatta to fall for Labor. The seat is currently held by retiring MP Jeoff Lee, and was contested by Lord Mayor Donna Davis.
While the prediction comes very early in the night, a loss of eight to 10 seats would be detrimental to the Coalition’s chances of a major or minority win. If Labor can gain nine seats from the Coalition, they will be able to govern outright with a majority government.
ABC election commentator Anthony Green also said the early swing of 4.7 per cent to Labor will make it “hard for the government to survive”.
“We don’t know but figures are looking good for the Labor party and looking concerning for the Liberal Party but this is not ready to call,” he said.
‘Stacked:’ Treasurer’s bleak election warning
NSW Treasurer Matt Kean made a bleak prediction for the Coalition, who are trying to win a fourth term in government.
Appearing on the ABC after polling booths across the state closed, he said the “deck is stacked against us”.
“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 said.
“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.”
Treasurer Matt Kean said the Coalition was ‘fighting the tide of history’. Picture: NCA NewsWire/ Jeremy Piper
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.
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.
Retiring Health Minister Brad Hazzard also admitted that NSW Dominic Perrottet was the underdog of the election.
“When you come off the back of Gladys Berejiklian or Mother Teresa, she’s a hard act to follow,” he told Nine News.
“It’s been very challenging for him. He’s done a great job and we’re confident we can win tonight.”
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”.
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“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.”
Read related topics:Dominic Perrottet