NSW Premier blames byelection loss on local issues - Sydney Morning Herald

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has pointed the finger at local issues as the cause for major swings against the government in Saturday’s byelections, insisting his handling of the pandemic is not to blame.

In the wash-up of his first electoral test as Premier, Mr Perrottet said he took responsibility for the historic loss of the Bega electorate to Labor, as well as a massive swing against the government in the safe Liberal seat of Willoughby.

“Bad day at the office:” NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said the result in Bega was disappointing.Credit:James Alcock

Regional health care, the response to the Black Summer bushfires and the controversial Northern Beaches tunnel were bigger issues for voters at the ballot box on Saturday than the state’s strategy for the Omicron outbreak, he said.

“There’s no doubt there are some disappointing results across the board, and we’ll reflect on that and learn from that,” he said.

“In terms of the pandemic, our approach is the right approach, and the feedback on the ground in each of those seats was that it was very much focused on local issues.

“But I take responsibility for the results yesterday. I’m the leader of the government. It’s on me.”

Labor’s Jason Yat sen-Li is expected to retain the seat of Strathfield for the party, despite a small swing to the government, while the Nationals have also claimed victory in retaining Monaro, where the opposition has so far recorded a swing of around 6 per cent.

The results of the so-called Super Saturday byelections will not be known for weeks, with postal votes yet to be counted. However, the ABC’s election analyst Antony Green has called a 14 per cent swing against the government in Bega, plunging it further into minority.

Labor candidate and retired obstetrician Michael Holland, who only needed a swing of 6.9 per cent to win, was a strong campaigner for better regional healthcare and a level 4 facility at the new Eurobodalla Hospital in Moruya.

Mr Perrottet said the loss of the South Coast electorate, formerly held by popular long-term MP Andrew Constance, was the most disappointing result for the government at the weekend.

“It’s still a community that is in pain, that is still recovering from one of the most difficult bushfire summers we’ve ever had. I saw that firsthand,” he said. “We could have done better as a government here in our state, I think that we will certainly reflect on that.”

In the short campaign ahead of the byelections, the opposition sought to characterise the poll as a referendum on Mr Perrottet’s handling of the Omicron wave.

The government suffered swings against it in all seats but Strathfield, where it gained a swing of 0.6 per cent, despite the area having been a hotspot suburb with harsh lockdown conditions during last year’s Delta outbreak.

One senior Liberal said the result in Strathfield discredited Opposition claims of an “anti-Dom” sentiment to the state’s reopening strategy.

“That was the seat where that would have shown up and yet, we got a positive swing,” they said.

State Labor leader Chris Minns, right, and Bega byelection winner Michael Holland.Credit:James Brickwood

NSW Labor leader Chris Minns said the byelection results should send a message to the Premier.

“To do better at his job, to understand what experts are saying and not just back his own ideology or hunches, but instead listen to experts in senior levels of the NSW government,” he said.

The Premier on Sunday denied the state had reopened too quickly over Christmas, insisting the plan was on the “right track” and that it was instead the government’s communication that needed work.

“I think it’s certainly true that we’ve got to get our message out more clearly.”

He later added: “You have bad days at the office, and you have good days at the office.”

In Gladys Berejiklian’s former seat of Willoughby, where Tim James has retained the seat for the Liberals, a strong swing to Independent candidate Larissa Penn highlighted community concerns about the impact of the proposed multibillion-dollar Northern Beaches tunnel.

Mr Perrottet said it was a “loud and clear” signal that better consultation was needed with locals who will be most impacted by the project, while not gaining a tangible benefit.

He said lessons could be learnt from the construction of WestConnex, which could have been “done a lot better.”

Asked if the departure of Ms Berejiklian – hugely popular among women aged 30-50 – would make it harder for the Coalition to attract female voters in next year’s state election, Mr Perrottet said the government would need to do better.

“I think that was reflected in the result [in Willoughby] yesterday,” he said.

In Batemans Bay with Dr Holland on Sunday, Mr Minns said there would be no victory celebrations for Labor.

“There is no mandate for NSW Labor, we’ve got to earn that. We’ll do that over the next 12 months. And that process starts today,” he said.

Mr Minns said Labor would continue to hold the government to its commitment on the Eurobodalla Hospital, describing it as the major issue for voters in Bega.

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2022-02-13 07:19:33Z
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