1988 New South Wales state election


Elections to the 49th Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday 19 March 1988. All seats in the Legislative Assembly and a third of the seats in the Legislative Council were up for election. The Labor government of Premier Barrie Unsworth was defeated by the Liberal-National Coalition, led by Opposition Leader Nick Greiner.
The election took place following a redistribution of seats, which resulted in the Assembly growing from 99 to 109 seats.

Issues

The Labor Party, under Neville Wran and, since 1986, Barrie Unsworth, had been in office for 12 years. A number of corruption scandals had tarnished Labor's image. Among these was the jailing of Labor's Minister for Corrective Services Rex Jackson in 1987 for accepting bribes for the early release of prisoners.
Even before then, two by-elections in 1986 indicated that NSW voters were about to call time on the three-term Labor government. When Unsworth, then a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, ran for the previously safe Labor Assembly seat of Rockdale in 1986, he only won it by 54 votes after losing more than 17 percent of Labor's primary vote from 1981. Additionally, Labor suffered a 22-percent primary vote swing in Wran's old seat of Bass Hill, allowing the Liberals to take it on a 103-vote margin. However, by-elections in Heathcote and Bankstown in 1987 saw only small swings against the government.
The Liberals' campaign slogan was "A change for the better". Greiner campaigned on a promise to clean up state government, foreshadowing the establishment of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, as well as promising to freeze government expenditure, create 16,000 new employment and training positions, and pay more attention to law enforcement.
In rural electorates, Labor's positions on gun laws and conservation alienated many voters. Health care was also a campaign issue.
Future Liberal Prime Minister Tony Abbott admitted in 2005 that he voted Labor at this election saying that Unsworth "was the best deal premier that New South Wales had ever had" and knew that it would not damage Greiner's prospects at this election.

Key dates

Results

Legislative Assembly

The result was a landslide for the Coalition parties. Election analyst Antony Green later noted that "the 1988 result was startling, the worst Labor performance, and best Coalition result, since the Lang era of the 1930s". Labor lost heartland seats including Balmain, Newcastle and Swansea for the first time since the turn of the century.
Seven non-aligned Independents were elected to the Legislative Assembly.

Legislative Council

Seats changing hands

¶ Bass Hill was won by the Liberal party in the 1986 by-election. It was regained by Labor in this election.

Redistribution affected seats

Post-election pendulum

LIBERAL/NATIONAL SEATS ---
Marginal---
RydeMichael PhotiosLIB0.2%
Blue MountainsBarry MorrisLIB0.3%
ParramattaJohn BooksLIB0.5%
CessnockBob RobertsLIB0.5%
EarlwoodPhil WhiteLIB1.3%
HeathcoteAllan AndrewsLIB1.8%
The EntranceBob GrahamLIB2.0%
Georges RiverTerry GriffithsLIB2.1%
PenrithGuy MathesonLIB2.2%
BathurstDavid BerryLIB2.2%
SutherlandChris DownyLIB2.5%
MinchinburyAnne CohenLIB2.5%
GladesvilleIvan PetchLIB3.0%
BurrinjuckAlby SchultzLIB3.7%
MonaroPeter CochranNAT3.9%
Fairly safe---
HurstvilleGuy YeomansLIB6.4%
WakehurstJohn BoothLIB7.5%
GosfordChris HartcherLIB7.8%
Safe---
MurwillumbahDon BeckNAT10.1%
PittwaterJim LongleyLIB10.1% v IND
MirandaRon PhillipsLIB11.5%
CronullaMalcolm KerrLIB11.6%
AlburyIan GlachanLIB11.7%
ManlyDavid HayLIB12.2%
StrathfieldPaul ZammitLIB12.8%
DavidsonTerry MetherellLIB14.0% v IND
HornsbyNeil PickardLIB14.7%
ClarenceIan CausleyNAT15.0%
Southern HighlandsJohn FaheyLIB16.8%
EastwoodAndrew TinkLIB17.6%
Upper HunterGeorge SourisNAT17.8%
BallinaDon PageNAT18.0%
CarlingfordWayne MertonLIB18.2%
MurrumbidgeeAdrian CruickshankNAT18.4%
BegaRussell SmithLIB18.7%
Northern TablelandsRay ChappellNAT19.0%
GoulburnRobert WebsterNAT19.3%
Port MacquarieBruce JefferyNAT19.4%
Myall LakesJohn TurnerNAT19.9%
LismoreBill RixonNAT19.9%
Middle HarbourPeter CollinsLIB21.2%
DubboGerry PeacockeNAT21.3%
Coffs HarbourMatt SingletonNAT21.4%
CastlereaghRoger WottonNAT21.9%
HawkesburyKevin RozzoliLIB22.1%
OrangeGarry WestNAT22.5%
Wagga WaggaJoe SchippLIB22.6%
Lane CoveJohn DowdLIB22.6%
LachlanIan ArmstrongNAT23.6%
MosmanPhillip SmilesLIB23.9%
ManningWendy MachinNAT23.9%
BarwonWal MurrayNAT24.3%
TamworthNoel ParkNAT25.4%
The HillsFred CatersonLIB25.9%
NorthcottBruce BairdLIB26.0%
MurrayJim SmallNAT27.0%
VaucluseRay AstonLIB27.2%
Ku-ring-gaiNick GreinerLIB29.7%
GordonTim MooreLIB32.9%