Labor Party takes power in ‘fresh start’ for Australia’s biggest state

SYDNEY (Reuters) – The Australian Labor Party in New South Wales claimed power in a state election on Saturday, with voters backing the centre-left party’s pledges on anti-privatisation and cost of living relief.

The election in Australia’s most populous state had been touted as a tight race between the incumbent Liberal-National coalition and Labor, but the vote count on Sunday showed Labor on track to take the 47 seats needed to form majority government, after three terms in opposition.

The win marks further endorsement of the party of Australia’s Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, who joined his state counterpart Chris Minns – who is set to become New South Wales’ 47th premier – in Sydney on polling day.

“A huge congratulations to @ChrisMinnsMP … and the whole NSW Labor team on your election victory,” Albanese said on Twitter late on Saturday.

Labor’s win in New South Wales means the party now governs at state and federal level across Australia’s mainland, leaving island state Tasmania as the conservative outlier.

“After 12 years in opposition the people of New South Wales have voted for a fresh start,” Minns told supporters in Sydney late on Saturday.

“The people of New South Wales voted to put in a government that would put people at the heart of all decision-making”.

Labor’s campaign in the state featured a pledge to rule out further privatisation of state assets, and a promise to boost public sector wages, amid cost-of-living concerns.

Outgoing premier Dominic Perrottet, a social conservative Catholic and former state treasurer, was elected premier in 2021 after his predecessor resigned after a corruption watchdog probe into whether she was involved in conduct that “constituted or involved a breach of public trust”.

Albanese, in the lead up to polling day, had urged voters in his home state to back Labor, saying the coalition government was “in shambles” due to infighting.

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