This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/mar/27/nsw-election-mike-bairds-high-wire-act-set-to-hand-power-to-the-liberals
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| NSW election: Mike Baird’s high-wire act set to hand power to the Liberals | NSW election: Mike Baird’s high-wire act set to hand power to the Liberals |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| The Liberal party looks set to win a second term in New South Wales as voters head to the polls on Saturday in an election which has centred around the proposal to privatise state electricity assets. | The Liberal party looks set to win a second term in New South Wales as voters head to the polls on Saturday in an election which has centred around the proposal to privatise state electricity assets. |
| The Coalition, led by premier Mike Baird, is leading Labor in the polls by 10 percentage points. The opposition, led by Luke Foley, needs to win 47 seats to form government but winning back 10 seats from the Coalition, which has a 69 seats, will be seen as a solid effort. | The Coalition, led by premier Mike Baird, is leading Labor in the polls by 10 percentage points. The opposition, led by Luke Foley, needs to win 47 seats to form government but winning back 10 seats from the Coalition, which has a 69 seats, will be seen as a solid effort. |
| Saturday’s Newspoll for News Corp Australia shows Labor’s primary vote has slipped from 36% to 34%, while the government’s has risen one point to 44%. The Coalition leads Labor by 55% to 45% on a two-party-preferred basis. The latest Seven Network ReachTEL survey also puts the Coalition in front, leading Labor 54% to 46% on a two-party-preferred basis. | |
| Baird has spent the campaign spruiking his proposal to put 49% of the state’s poles and wires on 99-year leases while guaranteeing electricity prices will not go up. In a deal with the Nationals, only electricity assets in Sydney will be leased leaving all regional assets in public hands. | Baird has spent the campaign spruiking his proposal to put 49% of the state’s poles and wires on 99-year leases while guaranteeing electricity prices will not go up. In a deal with the Nationals, only electricity assets in Sydney will be leased leaving all regional assets in public hands. |
| Related: Labor's NSW election scare tactics show one thing: defeating scare tactics is possible | Related: Labor's NSW election scare tactics show one thing: defeating scare tactics is possible |
| To sell his policy, Baird has promised that of billions of dollars from the leases will be used for infrastructure across the state, including building new roads, railway lines and upgrading hospitals. Country seats look the most likely to swing to Labor and while Baird maintains it is a “once in a generation” election he acknowledged there was already some backlash in regional areas. | To sell his policy, Baird has promised that of billions of dollars from the leases will be used for infrastructure across the state, including building new roads, railway lines and upgrading hospitals. Country seats look the most likely to swing to Labor and while Baird maintains it is a “once in a generation” election he acknowledged there was already some backlash in regional areas. |
| “I think it’s a reminder you can never take any electorate for granted, you have to at all times listen to what the community is saying. And you’ve seen it, you’ve seen results in Queensland, incredible swings against the government, so there’s never an election you can say it’s going to happen one way or the other, you have to listen on the ground,” he said on the campaign trail. | “I think it’s a reminder you can never take any electorate for granted, you have to at all times listen to what the community is saying. And you’ve seen it, you’ve seen results in Queensland, incredible swings against the government, so there’s never an election you can say it’s going to happen one way or the other, you have to listen on the ground,” he said on the campaign trail. |
| “The electorate is rightly sceptical of promises which is why we are so determined to deliver on our promises.” | “The electorate is rightly sceptical of promises which is why we are so determined to deliver on our promises.” |
| Foley has remained steadfastly opposed to privatisation saying the election is being fought on old-fashioned Labor principles – “a fair go for all, a decent life for everyone, a helping hand for those who need it most in life”, as he is fond of saying. | Foley has remained steadfastly opposed to privatisation saying the election is being fought on old-fashioned Labor principles – “a fair go for all, a decent life for everyone, a helping hand for those who need it most in life”, as he is fond of saying. |
| He warns that once the assets are leased then New South Wales will lose the income forever and it will be detrimental to the budget in the long term. | He warns that once the assets are leased then New South Wales will lose the income forever and it will be detrimental to the budget in the long term. |
| “People can vote Labor to keep the electricity network in public hands,” he said. | “People can vote Labor to keep the electricity network in public hands,” he said. |
| “I’m running to win. If we fall short, Labor voters deserve to know that what they feel so strongly about will be represented in the next parliament by me and by all of Labor’s parliamentarians, win, lose or draw tomorrow.” | “I’m running to win. If we fall short, Labor voters deserve to know that what they feel so strongly about will be represented in the next parliament by me and by all of Labor’s parliamentarians, win, lose or draw tomorrow.” |
| “If you have concerns about power prices, if you have concerns about a foreign government taking control of our electricity network, then just don’t risk it, you can vote Labor tomorrow.” | “If you have concerns about power prices, if you have concerns about a foreign government taking control of our electricity network, then just don’t risk it, you can vote Labor tomorrow.” |
| Foley has unveiled policies to upgrade hospitals and keep the budget in surplus without privatising the state’s assets. | Foley has unveiled policies to upgrade hospitals and keep the budget in surplus without privatising the state’s assets. |
| While Foley’s often cited figure for annual revenue from assets is $1.7bn, treasury documents put it closer to $400m. | While Foley’s often cited figure for annual revenue from assets is $1.7bn, treasury documents put it closer to $400m. |
| Foley spent the last week of the campaign mainly outside Sydney focusing on seats in northern NSW, the Central Coast and the southern tablelands. | Foley spent the last week of the campaign mainly outside Sydney focusing on seats in northern NSW, the Central Coast and the southern tablelands. |
| Polls opened at 8am in New South Wales and will close at 6pm. A result is expected some time on Saturday night. | Polls opened at 8am in New South Wales and will close at 6pm. A result is expected some time on Saturday night. |