Australia’s center-left Labor party took power in the most-populous state of New South Wales, ending 12 years of Liberal-National rule and sealing a left-wing sweep across the mainland.
(Bloomberg) — Australia’s center-left Labor party took power in the most-populous state of New South Wales, ending 12 years of Liberal-National rule and sealing a left-wing sweep across the mainland.
Labor leader Chris Minns became the 47th premier of New South Wales following Saturday’s election, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corp. His party will win at least 47 seats giving it a majority in the state’s parliament, ABC said. Final vote numbers will be confirmed in coming days.
New South Wales is Australia’s wealthiest state and surrounds the city of Sydney. During the campaign, Minns pledged to end privatization and create an “energy relief fund” to ease cost-of-living pressures on households amid elevated inflation.
“After 12 years in opposition, the people of New South Wales have voted for a fresh start,” Minns told supporters late Saturday after his opponent Dominic Perrottet conceded. “The team that I lead is ready for the challenges and opportunities of government, and we will not let the people of this state down.”
The win in New South Wales gives the Labor Party control at the federal level and in the five state and two territory governments on the Australian mainland for just the second time in 120 years. The southern island state of Tasmania now has Australia’s sole center-right Liberal government.
Still, the rare sweep could create problems for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, given state Labor governments have historically pushed back against their federal counterparts to secure local political interests. Party discipline counts for little in such circumstances, analysts say.
Read: Australia’s Left Set to Win Control of Every State But Tasmania
Economists have also warned about the potential inflationary impact of expensive election promises at a time of three-decade high consumer price gains that have prompted repeated interest-rate increases and forced administrations in other states to try to rein in spending.
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