Voting is underway across NSW with the latest poll showing Premier Mike Baird is set for a convincing win.
Premier Mike Baird goes head to head with Labor challenger Luke Foley today. Source: News Corp Australia
NSW has handed a decisive victory to Mike Baird who will be returned to power with a healthy majority.
Here are the latest live updates.
10:00pm — Julie Bishop crashes Baird victory party, thrills fans
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has received a rock star welcome at Mike Baird's victory party at the Sofitel Wentworth in Sydney.
With Prime Minister Tony Abbott absent from the party (like he was for much of the campaign), Ms Bishop has been soaking up the good vibes from the Liberal Party faithful.
Mr Baird acknowledged both Ms Bishop and Mr Abbott in his victory speech and the crowd broke into cheers of "Tony! Tony!"
Ms Bishop told Sky News that the people of NSW "will have an outstanding premier for the next four years.
"He's authentic, he's real. People trust him, they like him," she said.
"People are ready for reform, as long as it's explained to them. He's shown great leadership."
9:57pm — Coalition projected to win 53 seats
These are the ABC's latest predictions of how the NSW lower house will look.
The Coalition is predicted to win 53 seats, Labor will hold at least 32, The Greens are on track to win four and there will be two independents. That leaves three seats in doubt.
9:55pm — Crowd chants "four more years" as Baird arrives
"I love this state". Those are the first words Mike Baird uttered to supporters after being reinstated for four more years as the premier of NSW.
"I love this state because of its people and tonight they have chopsen hope over fear. We sought a mandate to make NSW great and tonight the people of NSW have given us that mandate and to them we say thank you."
He thanked Labor leader Luke Foley but said he had "lost some good people" as a result of "the biggest scare campaign in state history", referring to Labor's opposition to plans to lease the state's electricity assets.
Mr Baird appeared on stage to chants of "four more years". He congratulated new members of parliament across the chamber and ended by thanking his family.
"This journey is a family one," he said. "I want to thank my kids Laura, Kate and Luke and my beautiful wife. Everyone knows I am punching above my weight."
9:40pm — What does victory taste like? A brie and tomato tart
Nothing says victory like baked goods. Mike Baird's supporters, waiting patiently for the premier to appear for his victory speech, are tucking into tomato and brie tarts.
News.com.au reporter Charis Chang is on the scene and can reveal they are delicious.
9:25pm — Labor concedes defeat but not all bad news
Luke Foley with wife Edel on stage after giving an concession speech. Picture Craig Greenhill Source: News Corp Australia
Labor leader Luke Foley has conceded defeat. He phoned Mike Baird at 9pm to offer his congratulations before addressing his supporters at Lidcombe. He began by praising his opponent as "formidable" and "honourable".
"A little while ago I rang Mike Baird and congratulated him," Mr Foley said.
"Mike Baird took over the leadership when his government had entered very stormy waters and he steered the ship to safety. He is a formidable opponent, at the peak of his popularity. He's also an honourable opponent."
He said it was "never personal" politics. He also thanked former premier Barry O'Farrell and said the next election "is now winnable for Labor".
"We have received a half a million votes more today than we did at the last election. At the last election we won 20 seats and this election we'll finish with a number of seats in the mid-30s and a majority of Labor's lower house seats will now be held by new members. I am delighted that we will have nine or 10 new women in the lower house. Today the heartland has returned."
The ALP is set to win back about 10 seats it lost in 2011 and the ABC predicts it will hold a total of 31 when counting concludes.
He said he intends to remain Labor leader and contest the next election.
8:45pm — Early wins for the Greens
The Greens have delivered a strong performance and could win as many as four seats in the lower house. Jenny Leong has secured the trendy inner west seat of Newtown with an 8.8 per cent swing against Labor's Penny Sharpe. Labor conceded a short time ago. Leong said she would campaign hard against the government's WestConnex project.
Nearby in Balmain, Greens candidate Jamie Parker is ahead of former Labor MP Verity Firth with more than 25 per cent of the vote counted.
Sky News is reporting the Greens could win in Ballina, a seat previously held by the Nationals.
The Greens are also ahead in Lismore, with a 6.6 per cent swing towards the environmental party.
8:25pm — Luke Foley still optimistic
There is an optimistic mood in the Labor camp at Dooleys Lidcombe Catholic Club where Opposition Leader Luke Foley is hosting his election after party.
Labor upper house candidate Kun Huang told news.com.au "the early figures look OK".
"We're obviously picking up some seats from the Newcastle and western Sydney area like Granville," Huang said. "But it's early to tell."
However, one of the volunteers was a bit more pragmatic saying he thought the Liberal party would win but Labor would improve its position ahead of the next election.
"Next time it should be Luke's time."
8:20pm — Coalition "definitely back"
ABC election analyst Antony Green says that "It looks like the Coalition has been returned".
With 20 per cent of votes counted, the Coalition's primary vote is at 46 per cent.
"The government's definitely back," Mr Green said.
The ALP is set to win back about 11 seats is lost in 2011.
Channel 7 and Channel 9 panels have both declared Mike Baird will be returned as premier.
8:10pm — Baird on his way to election party
Incumbent premier Mike Baird is on his way to what looks like an election victory party at the Sofitel Hotel in Sydney.
It comes as Sky News declared "Mike Baird has won the election". Almost two hours into the counting of votes, the ABC is calling 35 seats for the Liberals and 16 seats for the Nationals. With 47 seats needed to form government, this puts the Coalition in a winning position with 51 seats.
The ABC has Labor ahead in 30 seats and The Greens ahead in two. A Nine News journalist asked Mike Baird whether he was ready to declare victory, but he said it was still too early.
7:45pm — 'We voted for the person who slagged the other person off the least'
News.com.au headed to the most marginal seat in NSW this afternoon, East Hills, to take the temperature of voters.
Most locals we spoke to seemed fed up with the intense competition between the two leading candidates, Liberal incumbent Glenn Brookes and Labor's Cameron Murphy.
"It's been a bit intense, people ringing you up and forever shoving things in your letterbox," Doug told us.
He said his vote was decided by the fact his wife didn't like the Liberal candidate: "If she doesn't like him, I don't like him."
Cameron Murphy. Source: News Corp Australia
Glenn Brookes. Source: News Corp Australia
Couple Michelle and Luke were also sick of the argy bargy, saying they gave their vote to the person who "slagged the other person off the least".
But there were also two voters who said they were Liberal voters and would still be voting Liberal.
"Labor was just so bad over the years; I think everyone is still a bit annoyed by that," Chris Bowman said.
But Darren, who described himself as a swinging voter, said he would be voting for Labor because of concerns around the partial privatisation of the state's electricity assets. While he has decided to support the Opposition, he said he was disappointed Labor had not spoken more about its own objectives and plans for the future.
"It's just been a massive slag fest," he said.
6:50pm — Mike Baird just gets it
Mike Baird is a man of the people. Never was that clearer than when he tucked into a snag sandwich at Curl Curl today.
"Election day is a good day. But it's also day for the mighty sausage," he said.
Sausages played a big part on election day across the state and a website was even set up — democracysausage.org — to let voters know the polling places that did and did not serve up snags.
He gets it. Source: Supplied
Tucking in. Source: NewsComAu
6.20pm — Controversy at polling booths
It was a big day on the hustings, one not without controversy.
A poster of Labor candidate for East Hills Cameron Murphy, running in the most marginal seat in the state, was plastered with stickers reading "pedophile lover", among other things.
Other candidates had to deal with vandalism too, including Liberal candidate for Hawkesbury Dominic Perrottet. Only his daughter was the one drawing all over his face.
A man wearing a Liberal party shirt was also seen walking away from a booth carrying a poster of Labor candidate O'Bray Smith.
6:00pm — Polls have now closed
Counting is underway. We'll have results here as they come in.
5.45pm — Exit polls show Baird on track for victory
Exit polls show that Premier Mike Baird and the Coalition are on track to reclaim NSW decisively, The Daily Telegraph reports.
A Seven News-ReachTEL poll put the Coalition ahead of Labor 54-46, while Nine's exit polls show the government is ahead 55-46.
Here's the full story.
5.35pm — Election craziness sets in
It looks like election night craziness has started to set in. Labor MP Anthony Albanese shared this pic via Instagram of Today show host Karl Stefanovic with the caption: "That @karlstefanovic is a friendly dude :) #nswvotes."
Albo is part of Channel Nine's election night coverage, hosted by Stefanovic.
TV networks have gathered a host of different commentators. Albo is joined on the Channel Nine panel by Arthur Sinodinos, Laurie Oakes and "The Boot", which will kick candidates out after they lose their seats.
The ABC is playing it straight with election night expert Antony Green, Labor MP Carmel Tebbutt and Chris Uhlmann. Safe to say that lineup is not everybody's cup of tea.
5.30pm — Gotta love an Aussie election
Surfer Steve Rose votes at Bondi Bathers Surf Life Saving Club. Source: News Corp Australia
Here's democracy in action in Bondi, with Steve Rose snapped casting his ballot with his surf board under his arm. There are only 30 minutes left until polls close.
5.10pm — "I think it's going to be very close": The battle for a new seat
One of the more interesting races in the election is for the newly created seat of Newtown.
Situated in the heart of Sydney's trendy inner west, Newtown is not a battle between Liberal or Labor, but a fight between Labor and Greens.
The seat, which was created due to the growing inner-city population, is notionally Green, but the high-profile Labor candidate, MLC Penny Sharpe, is expected to perform strongly.
News.com.au reporter Charis Chang caught up with Greens candidate Jenny Leong at the polling place at Newtown Public School and she said "I think it's going to be very close".
"I do know we've inspired people ... and that feels good," she said.
4.55pm — Have The Greens managed to squeeze electoral advertising into cake stall?
Paddington is seeing green. Source: NewsComAu
Call us crazy, but have The Greens managed to squeeze some electoral advertising into a cake stall?
News.com.au's entertainment editor-at-large Melissa Hoyer snapped this pic at her polling place in Paddington, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, this afternoon.
4.45pm — Seats to watch
Although the Coalition is tipped to retain government when the votes are counted, Labor is expected to claw back some of the seats it lost when it was roundly kicked out of office in 2011.
Here are six of the key seats to watch, according to AAP:
● EAST HILLS, 0.2 per cent margin (Lib): Traditionally held by Labor and could easily be lost by the Liberals. The ALP's candidate is Cameron Murphy, former president of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties and son of former federal Labor attorney-general and High Court judge Lionel Murphy.
● SWANSEA, 0.3 per cent (Lib): Highly likely to fall to Labor. Sitting member Garry Edwards is suspended from the Liberal Party amid allegations heard before Independent Commission against Corruption he received banned property donations in the lead-up to 2011 election. He is standing as an independent.
● PROSPECT, 1.1 per cent (Lib): The renamed seat of Smithfield, held for 17 years by prominent former Labor MP Carl Scully, is now in Liberal hands. But with a margin of just 1.1 per cent, sitting MP Andrew Rohan will have to fight to retain this outer western Sydney electorate.
● MACQUARIE FIELDS, 1.8 per cent (Lib): Despite it being held by Labor's Andrew MacDonald, a recent redistribution actually has made it a notionally Liberal seat. But an expected swing against the Baird government could mean this seat stays in Labor hands.
● MONARO, 2.0 per cent (Nat): Former Labor minister Steve Whan is aiming to win his old seat back from The Nationals. He had earlier put his hand up to lead the Labor Party after the resignation of John Robertson.
● NEWTOWN, 4.4 per cent (GRN): A newly created seat after the 2013 redistribution. It is a notionally Green seat but will be tightly contested by Labor upper house MP Penny Sharpe.
Read the full list of seats to watch here.
4pm — Castle star's message to major parties: "Tell 'em they're dreamin'"
A little something to think about for Saturday.Authorised by Michael Caton. Spoken by Michael Caton. Performed by Michael Caton....... in a last ditch attempt to keep the bastards honest. #nswvotes
Posted by Michael Caton on Tuesday, 24 March 2015
The man who played Darryl Kerrigan in the Aussie classic The Castle has weighed into the NSW election. What's his message for the major parties? "Tell 'em they're dreamin'."
The Aussie actor has posted a video onto his Facebook page where he endorses candidates who have the most environmentally responsible policies in "a last-ditch attempt to keep the bastards honest".
He urges voters to dump the incumbent Nationals member for Barwon, Kevin Humphries, because he endorses a plan to mine for coal seam gas in the Pilliga State Forest, which Caton calls "an important recharge area for the Artesian Basin".
"He's the Minister for Water? Given me a break," Caton says.
The actor suggests voters instead put their support behind independent candidate Rohan Boehm.
"I give him my vote, just to shove it up the two major parties," Caton says.
He also endorses the Greens candidate for Upper Hunter, John Kaye, due to his opposition to further open-cut coalmining in the region.
"Now if you've driven through the place recently, it looks like something from the dark side of the moon, huge coalmines ripping through this once pristine valley. I mean famous vineyards covered in coal dust, to say nothing of kids lungs," Caton says.
3pm — Snag yourself a sausage sanger
It's still all about the sausage sizzles.
2.30pm — Baird makes last-ditch play for marginal seat
NSW Premier Mike Baird paid a last minute visit to the most marginal seat in the state as thousands attended polling booths to cast their vote in today's state election.
Mr Baird joined sitting East Hills Liberal MP Glenn Brookes, who holds the seat by 0.2 per cent or 107 votes, at Padstow Park Public School this afternoon, mingling with residents and even spinning the school's chocolate wheel.
2pm — Leaders cast their votes
An anxious time for the leaders now they have cast their votes.
NSW Premier Mike Baird and Oppn Leader Luke Foley have restated their policies before casting their votes.
1.30pm — Aussie-as on election day
A very Aussie polling booth.
12.25pm — Turnbull fronts up for Liberal colleagues … but where's Abbott?
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has been tweeting pics of himself out supporting Liberal candidates in Sydney's eastern suburbs.
The vote today will not be a reflection on the federal government or Tony Abbott, he says.
No sign yet, though, of the Prime Minister.
11.50am — Leaders final pitch for votes
The leaders have voted and are naturally both talking up their chances.
Premier Mike Baird voted with his wife at Manly this morning and joked it was at least "two votes", while Labor leader Luke Foley cast his vote in western Sydney and promised there'd be no negativity today.
"Mike's a good bloke," he told Network Seven with a laugh. "He's my second choice for premier today."
11.30am — LOLs at the polls
Who said elections were boring? There's loads of comedy at the polling booths today. Which made up for the lack of sausages at some locations.
But alas, some people had to go without sausages.
11am — What voters really care about at the ballot box: Sausage sizzles and cake stalls
Find out where to get the best snags on election day. Source: News Corp Australia
Sure, the policies are important, but there's one thing that voters really care about when they head to the polls today.
And that's where to find the best sausage sizzles and cake stalls! Check out these awesome websites — Election Sausage Sizzle and Democracy Sausage — for your nearest snag sanger and lamington.
Here are some other important details:
● Polling places close at 6pm
● Voting is compulsory. You may be fined $55 if you fail to vote.
● Check whether your enrolment is up to date, which electorate you're in and where to vote by clicking here. Or phone 1300 135 736.
● If you know which electorate you're in, enter it below to see which candidates are running.
● Prepare to be handed a tablecloth. The upper house ballot paper has more candidates than ever: 394. For the Legislative Council (known as the Senate in Canberra), you can place a "1" above the line for the party of your choice. If you want to, you can then mark your subsequent preferences from "2" and so on. Or, you can vote for your preferences below the line by placing at least 1-15. If you're really keen, you can rank all 394 candidates.
● The smaller ballot paper is for the lower house, the Legislative Assembly. There you can simply mark "1" for your preferred candidate, or fill out the rest, starting with "2" if you wish.
MORE: What the candidates are saying, and what they really mean
