Exit poll points to Coalition win in NSW
With less than one hour remaining in the New South Wales election, early exit polls are pointing to a comfortable win for the Liberal-National Coalition.
Seven's ReachTEL exit poll of 2200 voters is showing the Liberal–National Coalition holding a 54-46 percent lead in a two-party preferred basis.
First exit poll: Seven Network ReachTEL survey results are in. Full coverage with @7NewsSydney #nswvotes http://t.co/Z3CyErDqPT
— 7 News Sydney (@7NewsSydney) March 28, 2015
The Liberal–National Coalition won the 2011 state election with 69 of 93 seats in the lower house
Over the term of the parliament, the Coalition was reduced to 61 seats with Labor increasing to 23.
Voting will soon close in what experts tipped would be a convincing win for Mike Baird, handing the Liberal-National a second term.
A Labor victory at this election was considered unlikely. The party was reduced to just x seats in the 93-seat lower house.
Mike Baird's Liberal-National government was expected to retain power despite a swing to Labor.
Election experts have predicted Labor - led by Luke Foley since January - will pick up 15 to 20 seats, but leave the conservatives with a majority in the 93-seat lower house.
Coalition strategists fear many voters would base their decision on concerns about the privatisation of the state's electricity assets, on which Labor and the unions have campaigned heavily.
Australian National University political expert John Warhurst believes the election will be a test for the Liberals and not just in NSW.
The Liberal Party could not afford a mediocre victory, Professor Warhurst said.
"While Mike Baird is likely to be returned, the Liberals really need a big victory.
"Even if Labor don't win, a large swing will give a confidence boost to Bill Shorten, and could be a big problem for Tony Abbott."
Labor has drawn upon voter disenchantment with the prime minister in its campaign.
Mr Baird denied he had deliberately distanced the state Liberals from Mr Abbott, whose federal government has lagged Labor in the polls for almost a year.
"No, the prime minister has been with me on many occasions on this campaign," he told reporters in Sydney on Friday.
Labor strategist Bruce Hawker told AAP Mr Abbott's comment was a "not so subtle" change of language from his remarks before the Queensland and Victorian elections that they were purely about state issues.
"Privatisation has been the big issue but ... wherever you go Tony Abbott is still rancid," he said.
"Tony Abbott will get no comfort other than false comfort out of any win for the Liberals."
However, he noted that the prime minister's unpopularity appeared to be neutralised by Mr Baird's personal support.
"In Queensland you had a double dose of toxicity," Mr Hawker said of that state's former premier Campbell Newman.
Despite opinion polls suggesting he was a shoo-in for re-election, NSW Premier Mike Baird said he was fearful of Labor sneaking back into power.
Yesterday, Mr Baird held a symbolic press conference at the site of the North West Rail Link to highlight the infrastructure milestones achieved by the coalition government.
"It is the best way you can describe a difference between what we saw for 16 years (under Labor) and then what you saw under us," he told reporters in Cherrybrook on Friday.
Mr Baird said he would fight for every vote until the polls closed at 6pm on Saturday.
"We're still in the fight of our lives," he said.
"We're not going to take any vote for granted."
He urged voters not to back Labor for the good of the state.
"My biggest fear tomorrow is that Labor comes back into power, that they sneak back over the line and they put an absolute brake on the economy," the premier said.
"NSW comes to a shuddering halt: there are less jobs, there is less infrastructure, NSW goes backwards just at the time we've got NSW moving.
"Now is not the time to stop this."
