Labor sweeps NSW after 12 years, Perrottet concedes defeat

Chris Minns will lead New South Wales as the 47th Premier after a decisive Labor victory on Saturday evening, ending 12 years of Liberal-National rule and marking the party's first state election win since 2007.

The result was declared within two hours of counting beginning. Sky News called a Labor victory at 8:04pm, with Dominic Perrottet conceding defeat to Minns shortly after 9pm in an emotional speech to party supporters.

By late Saturday, Labor had secured 47 seats with half the ballots counted—a position analysts predicted would extend to around 50 seats once all votes were tallied. The Coalition's collapse was stark: the party lost 19 seats, with final counts expected to cap the Liberals and Nationals at roughly 31 electorates.

Labor's victory was built on a swing across metropolitan Sydney. The party reclaimed six key electorates—Riverstone, Leppington, South Coast, Heathcote, East Hills and Parramatta—with Penrith also on the brink of falling to Labor, threatening the seat of former Liberal MP Stuart Ayres.

"As leader of the parliamentary Liberal Party, I take full responsibility for the loss this evening, and as a result I will be standing down," Perrottet told an assembled crowd at Liberal headquarters. The 40-year-old Premier, who took office in October 2021 at 39 years old—the youngest to lead NSW—acknowledged that the party needed "a fresh start."

Despite the defeat, Perrottet praised the campaign's tone. "Elections can get ugly, but I believe this one truly was a race to the top—a genuine battle of ideas. That is when politics is at its best," he said, crediting Minns for the respectful conduct throughout.

Perrottet urged New South Wales residents to unite behind the incoming government. "Ultimately, I ask everybody across NSW, whatever your political persuasion, to get behind him," he said, "because when New South Wales goes well, our country goes well, and that is something tonight I believe we can all unite behind."

In his victory speech, Minns pledged to repay the trust of Labor supporters and govern for all New South Wales. He thanked outgoing Premier Perrottet for running a campaign "of respect and civility," framing it as proof that political contests could be conducted with dignity.

"There are many challenges facing the state of NSW over the next four years," Minns said, "but the team I lead is ready for the challenge and opportunities of government and I will not let the people of this state down."

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, speaking at Labor's election night event, described Minns as a leader embodying "vision, compassion and integrity."

The 2023 result was Labor's most significant state election victory since Morris Iemma led the party to power 16 years earlier. The scale of the swing—and the speed of the call—reflected a decisive voter rejection of the Coalition after 12 years in office.