Liberal and Labor heavyweights agree the NSW election result won’t be known on the night
16 March 2023Stalwarts from the two major parties have agreed on one thing during the Australian Technology Network of Universities podcast, ATN Perspectives, that the NSW Election result will not be known on the night.
FRIDAY 10 MARCH 2023
Stalwarts from the two major parties have agreed on one thing during the Australian Technology Network of Universities podcast, ATN Perspectives, that the NSW Election result will not be known on the night.
Former Federal Member for North Sydney, Trent Zimmerman, and ex-Labor NSW Opposition Leader, John Robertson, were special guests on the Election Watch show and both conceded that it’s unlikely voters will know who governs the State on Sunday the 25th.
“I’m not even convinced there will be a result on the night. I think it is going to be so tight, if I had to make a call right now, I would say there may not be a result on the night,” Mr Robertson said.
Mr Zimmerman, the former President of the NSW Liberal Party, raised the prospect of a hung parliament.
“I doubt that we will know on election night, there’s obviously a significant chance it will be a hung parliament, we don’t know the complexion of that cross bench will be and where they will land and obviously some have been putting out their demands already,” he added.
They also concurred on the fact more attention should be given to key non-metro seats, singling out Barwon, Murray and Port Macquarie as key contests to keep a close eye on. Mr Zimmerman also believes the Teal vote and the issue of Climate Change may not play as strongly in NSW, as it did federally.
“The type of voters who were concerned about what the Federal Liberal government was doing about climate change will not have those same concerns in relation to the State government where the leadership has been so strong,” he said.
“In the NSW Liberal Party, you have a very different approach that’s been taken by Perrottet and Matt Kean, you don’t have that personal animosity towards the leader.”
Mr Robertson, the former Transport Minister said cost of living pressures will be a key factor.
“The costs on toll roads are just phenomenal, so if you work out electricity and the privatisation impacts and then you look at toll roads, they are two areas which are hitting people the hardest,” he said.
*You can listen to the podcast here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1778250/12410064
