Polls have closed across New South Wales as counting begins in a tight race to elect the party that will govern for the next four years.
Key points:
- This year a record 1,566,493 early votes were cast
- Recent polls have Labor out in front
- There is a strong likelihood of a hung parliament that relies on minor parties and independents
Both leaders, Dominic Perrottet and Chris Minns, looked buoyant and hopeful as they cast their votes in their respective electorates earlier today.
Democracy sausages sizzled as the rain mostly held off, with long queues forming around voting booths as the day wore on.
In Bankstown, one voter said they had been waiting for about 15 minutes.
Flanked by his wife Helen, Mr Perrottet was out early in the blue ribbon seat of Epping in Sydney’s north, casting his vote at Beecroft Public School.
He has held the seat comfortably since 2019, and was confident he would retain it.
Live coverage: follow the latest developments on the ABC’s NSW election blog
“We were the worst-performing economy over a decade ago. The state had stalled. We’ve turned that around,” he said.
Showing off a tired baby Celeste, the family unit then made their way to East Hills.
The crucial seat is currently sitting on a knife’s edge, held by Liberal MP Wendy Lindsay with a margin of 0.1 per cent.
Mr Minns also made an appearance in East Hills, joining Labor candidate Kylie Wilkinson.
The Opposition Leader then made a lunch-time appearance at Kogarah, where he cast his vote alongside wife Anna and his three boys.
In the electorate of Oatley, Mr Minns was asked about the latest Newspoll results today, that put him ahead of the premier on a two-party-preferred basis.
“It’s a cliche, but when a poll comes out on polling day … it’s more important to say to the people of New South Wales, go and cast your vote,” he said.
“There’s nothing more important than an actual ballot in a ballot box.
“We’ve got a positive plan for change.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese appeared at the West Ryde Public School in Ryde, saying the state needed a change from the shambolic Coalition government.
“The Liberals are too busy fighting each other, and fighting the Nationals, and the Nationals fighting other Nationals, to actually fight for the people of New South Wales,” he said.
This year a record number of postal votes were cast, with 1,566,493 early votes already cast.
Not only does Labor need to flip nine seats to end the Coalition’s 12-year reign, but Mr Minns needs to retain the southern seat he came close to losing at the 2019 election.
He holds it by a margin of 0.1 per cent.
During the election campaign he said Labor couldn’t win without Kogarah, and he would “rather not be in parliament” if he couldn’t represent the area.
On Friday, Mr Perrottet did some last-minute campaigning alongside Liberal candidate Craig Chung, suggesting the party thinks they may have a chance of winning Kogarah.
Recent polls have Labor out in front, with the strong likelihood of a hung parliament that could see independents and minor parties playing a bigger role than usual.
According to ABC election analyst Antony Green, all eyes tonight will be on the key battleground of Sydney.
“If you look at where the election will be decided, it will be mostly in Sydney, and the seats on five, six or seven per cent that Labor needs to win,” he said.
Among those seats is Oatley in Sydney’s south and the safe Liberal seat of Camden in south-west Sydney which the party holds by 7.3 per cent.
But to get there, Labor needs to first win Riverstone, Winston Hills, Parramatta and Penrith.
For the Liberals, the string of northern suburbs seats where independents are running will be key.
They will be monitoring closely teal challengers: Helen Conway in North Shore, Jacqui Scruby in Pittwater, Joeline Hackman in Manly, Victoria Davidson in Lane Cove and Judy Hannan in Wollondilly.
in the Liberal-heartland seat of Willoughby, independent Larissa Penn could pose a danger.
By Friday afternoon, more than one million people out of the state’s five million voters, had pre-polled, with the NSW Electoral Commission receiving just over 92,000 postal votes.
For those that turned out today, polling booths traditional fundraising cake stalls and barbecues were on offer, catering for sweet and savoury palettes.