Gladys Berejiklian has been re-elected as New South Wales Premier, the state’s first elected female leader. From Liberal HQ at Sofitel Sydney, Berejiklian delivered her victory speech first thanking Opposition Leader Michael Daley. “Thank you so much everybody, a short time ago I took a phone call from Opposition Leader Michael Daley who conceded that the next government in the New South Wales will be the Berejiklian Government,” she said. The crowd shouted “Four more years, four more years, four more years.” It is still unclear whether it will be a majority or minority government. Berejiklian thanked the candidates from all sides, the Liberal Party, her campaign director, her staff, supporters, and family. “I am most proud of the state of New South Wales, I am incredibly proud of the wonderful place in which we live. No matter your background, where you live, your circumstances everybody in this state has the chance to be their best. A state in which someone with a long surname and a woman can be the premier of New South Wales.” “I will continue to work our guts out, to make sure this state and its people have the best opportunities on the planet,” she said. At Labor HQ, Daley conceded defeat. “A short time ago I telephoned Gladys and congratulated her on her victory, I congratulated the Coalition on retaining government tonight,” he said. Daley thanked his deputy Penny Sharp, his team, his electorate office, his family – especially his wife – and all “the beautiful people in the red t-shirts” who campaigned. “Sometimes we win them, sometimes we lose them but some things never change … our passion to make New South Wales a better place,” he said. “I am proud of your efforts.” Daley said he intends to remain the leader of the Labor Party. “Thank you very much for the privilege, thank you very much for your efforts, hold your heads up high.” Earlier tonight, the ABC‘s elections analyst Antony Green and a Nine News poll predicted a Coalition victory .<doc-sep>The at-times vicious NSW parliament “bear pit” is headed for extinction, with a victorious Gladys Berejiklian vowing to clean up the chamber and apply higher standards to the state’s politicians; the Premier’s secret campaign weapon; Labor and Liberal campaigns analysed; and, how the NSW result works in the PM’s favour. ELECTION WRAP Parliament will be cleaned up with higher standards expected of politicians under sweeping reforms to NSW’s notorious bear pit set to be the first offering from Premier Gladys Berejiklian to the crossbench. “This is a fresh parliament, and a fresh government which lends itself to improving the way in which we conduct ourselves,” Ms Berejiklian told The Daily Telegraph. The re-elected Premier was yesterday confident the Liberal National Coalition would have the numbers to govern in its own right, but will still move to strengthen her relationship with the key NSW independents in a move that will insulate her from by-elections. The Coalition had 46 seats and needed 47 to govern in its own right. The Premier enjoys a coffee at Little Giant Coffee Roasters with her sisters Mary Berejiklian (L) and Rita Berejiklian. Picture: Tracey Nearmy MORE NEWS Booming Parramatta class spends big out West Furious farmers ambush Nationals in the bush Greens should ask themselves if they have blood on their hands The government was last night expecting to secure Dubbo and East Hills to take their final count to 48. Newly empowered, the Premier also indicated she would shake of the influence of factional heavyweights, particularly when selecting her cabinet this week. “I’ve earned the right to surround myself with the best people and pick the best team,” she said. The Premier said that being instilled with a mandate of the people would make her “more bold and courageous” as a leader, while remaining in touch with community sentiment. Well wishers speak to Ms Berejiklian on Sunday. Picture: Tracey Nearmy Ms Berejiklian said the parliament had not had significant reform in “a long time”, which she said could include stricter rules for how it was run. The Premier believes personally that many people can be disappointed when they see what happens in parliament, particularly its high levels of antagonism. The conduct of the parliament came under heavy scrutiny last October when Corrections Minister David Elliott raised allegations about then-Labor leader Luke Foley. Mr Foley then retaliated with a bizarre series of threats at a number of government ministers in which he pointed his fingers at them across the chamber, saying he would talk about “you and you and you”. Ms Berejiklian walks to the local gym for a workout on Sunday. Picture: Tracey Nearmy The three independents on the crossbench — Greg Piper, Alex Greenwich and Joe McGirr — wrote to both leaders a month ago calling for parliamentary reform. Ms Berejiklian said she wanted the parliament to be more productive “and spend more time dealing with the issues the community cares about and not just what politicians care about.” This would also involve reforming the committee process and possibly the timing of questions and answers. Independent MP for Lake Macquarie Greg Piper. It’s understood the Premier will also consider moving question time earlier in the day and the cross bench has also asked her to consider changing the amount of time allowed for Dorothy Dixer questions. She said she would prioritise trying to reconnect with voters feeling disconnected from the political process. Independent MP for Sydney Alex Greenwich. Picture: AAP Independent MP for Wagga Wagga Joe McGirr. Picture: AAP She also said water management would be a top priority for her in western NSW after saying the loss of huge Nationals seats like Barwon and Murray was a “cry for help” from those people. Asked if she would commit to serving her four-year term, Ms Berejiklian said “that’s certainly my intention”: “You can’t predict what will happen in the future, but so long as I have the support of the community and my colleagues I will always serve.” She said that following her win on Saturday night, she felt it was important to listen to “the silent majority”. “Sometimes the loud minority are blurring them out,” she said. With 73 per cent of the vote counted, The Liberal Nationals had 42.2 per cent of the primary vote, well ahead of Labor on 33 per cent. Premier’s attention to detail paid off EXCLUSIVE: Gladys Berejiklian personally dialled in to daily 6am phone hook-ups with an inner circle of ministers and staff to micro-plan every turn of the Liberal campaign. The Premier’s involvement on a day-to-day basis was praised yesterday by even her detractors, as they reaped the spoils of what was effectively a lacklustre campaign that came up trumps in the polls as the party was swept to a rare third term in office. The Premier spent time with her sisters Mary Berejiklian (left) and Rita Berejiklian on Sunday. Picture: Tracey Nearmy This was a campaign in which Labor had turned to seasoned streetfighters — Bruce Hawker, Eamonn Fitzpatrick and Kris Neill — to run a sophisticated attack on the government. But in the end, their political smarts could not insulate them from Michael Daley’s mistakes. The Liberal campaign was almost the exact opposite — a serviceable assault­ at best run by staff with far less experience playing in first grade. Consultant Bruce Hawker worked on the 2019 campaign for Labor. Eamonn Fitzpatrick also worked on Labor’s state election campaign. They won because the Premier could manage the gruelling hustings, falling back on her strength in detail to outdo Mr Daley at the final turn. The Liberal campaign office, run by Chris Stone — the man who saw the Liberals win the tough Bennelong by-election against Kristina Keneally in 2017 but lose the unlosable Wagga by-election last year — was repeatedly criticised for sticking to plans and failing to deviate from strategy at all costs. Mr Stone was on the pre-dawn phone hook-ups, which also included senior ministers Andrew Constance, Dominic Perrottet, Don Harwin, Brad Hazzard, John Barilaro and staff. In the weeks when Labor was riding high in the headlines on the back of a seemingly unstoppable momentum­, insiders criticised senior Berejiklian staffers for lacking agility and imagination. The Premier managed the gruelling hustings, falling back on her strength in detail to outdo Labor leader Michael Daley at the final turn. Picture: Tracey Nearmy Things were so tense, senior Liberal­ staffers were briefing media on their own tactic suggestions to save face. The Premier was criticised for playing it too safe. As recently as one week before the poll, senior government figures were panicked that they would lose. Labor’s internal polling figures were even stronger than those made public. The party believed even a majority­ government was possible. There was no doubt at week three of the campaign that Labor, led by General Secretary Kaila Murnain, had run a sensational ground game. At that point the brains trust running Mr Daley’s office had out-politicked the Liberals on almost every turn. At week three of the campaign Labor, led by General Secretary Kaila Murnain, had run a sensational ground game. Picture: Adam Taylor But then, the wheels came off. The first glimmer came when Mr Daley could not answer basic questions about his brand new tax hike, three weeks after announcing it. The press conference about his luxury car tax humiliated the leader, but the party was confident the class war essence of the party would be strong enough to dominate headlines. However, within days The Daily Telegraph published the video of Mr Daley making offensive comments about migrants from Asia. The party was still hopeful that the remarks, which were interpreted as racist, wouldn’t cost too many votes in outer suburban areas and regions. NSW Opposition Leader Michael Daley speaks to media at Maroubra Beach on Sunday. Picture: AAP But any votes saved there were lost when Mr Daley was exposed on live TV at the Sky News/Daily Telegraph People’s forum for not knowing key budget details of his own policy.<doc-sep>Two days before NSW heads to the polls, stadiums have remained a major issue on the agenda of both Labor and Liberals – but if betting sites are to be believed, Gladys Berejiklian has climbed back to the leading position. Loading The Premier defended her decision to press ahead with demolishing and rebuilding Allianz Stadium for $730 million today, despite a report saying the stadium's safety issues could have been addressed for as little as $18 million. The Opposition Leader started his day outside the stadium in Moore Park following a poor performance during Wednesday night's leaders' debate, determined to stay positive and making every effort to resurrect his campaign. Later, he visited businesses along the light rail line construction site in Surry Hills, promising to create a $100 million fund to help residents and businesses affected by the botched project. Loading The Premier, on the other hand, was visiting a construction project that voters are more excited about. She and Transport Minister Andrew Constance donned protective gear at Barangaroo to see where the machine dubbed 'Kathleen' will begin boring the Sydney Harbour train tunnel. And that's a wrap for the blog today, ahead of a big election eve tomorrow. Make sure you tune in!<doc-sep>
Gladys Berejiklian has thanked the people of NSW for re-electing her government - and for voting for a woman with a long surname to be premier. “First and foremost, I want to thank the people of this great state for having confidence in me and my government,” she said after claiming victory in Saturday’s election. “My team and I will continue to work our guts out to make sure this state and its people continue to ensure that we have the best opportunities on this planet.” She said her priorities would be to continue to provide a strong budget for the projects, infrastructure and services for the state. Thousands of Liberal supporters - many chanting “four more years” - and Prime Minister Scott Morrison and former PM John Howard were on hand for the victory celebrations. The coalition was returned for a third term on Saturday, but it’s still to be determined whether it will be able to govern in its own right or will depend on the three expected independents. Ms Berejiklian thanked her family, staff, volunteers and party workers for their efforts to return the government. She also praised Nationals leader and Deputy Premier John Barilaro and Treasurer Dominic Perrottet for their efforts. Her opponent Michael Daley, meantime, says he intends to remain as leader of the NSW Labor party despite losing the state election. Just before 10pm on Saturday, Mr Daley conceded defeat after calling Premier Gladys Berejiklian to congratulate her. The coalition have been returned for a third term, but it’s not yet known if it will be a majority or minority government. He thanked his family, candidates, the party, and the 22,000 volunteers - “you beautiful people in red T-shirts” - for their efforts during the campaign. Mr Daley became leader 134 days ago following the forced resignation of Luke Foley and said it wasn’t long enough to cut through to the electorate. “... it just wasn’t long enough. But I can tell you that it is my intention to remain the leader of the party,” he told the Labor function in conceding defeat. He said he had no intention of giving up. “We have a long and proud history in the Labor Party. Sometimes we win them, and sometimes we lose them,: Mr Daley said. “But one thing never changes - our passion, our belief and our mission to make NSW and Australia a better place, and that is what we will continue to do.” He called for an improvement in politics in the state to end the continual erosion of public confidence in the political system. “One of the concerns I have about the result tonight, being someone who believes in the political stability the two-party system does ... is that it really hasn’t been all that great a night for the major parties. Mr Daley said he would finally have a drink. “It seems like a very, very long time indeed since I’ve been able to have a drink or two with friends. “I can’t remember the last time I did it so I think I might treat myself with that enjoyable experience now.”