Australian Labor Party takes power in New South Wales after historic win
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March 25 (UPI) — Australia’s Labor Party is set to take power in New South Wales, the country’s most populous state, for the first time in decades following historic election results on Saturday.
By the end of the vote tally, Labor had picked up six seats in New South Wales, meaning party leader and former firefighter Chris Minns will become the state’s first Labor premier in more than two decades.
Labor, Australia’s main center-left party, campaigned against a cap on public wages and the sale of public assets. The party also promised financing for healthcare and education.
“I’m proud to say today the people of NSW voted for the removal of the unfair wages cap,” Minns said during a speech in Sydney following Saturday’s election results.
He was joined by fellow Labor Party member and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. who called Minns “a leader whose vision is one that always has people at its heart.”
As a result of the vote, Labor will hold at least 47 seats in the 93-member lower house — marking only the third time since World War II it has gone from opposition into government in NSW, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
Liberal Party leader Dominic Perrottet said he would step down during a concession speech after the vote tally.
“It is a time to reflect. It is a time to rethink and ultimately to renew. To renew as leader of the parliamentary Liberal party, I take full responsibility for the loss this evening,” he said.
Perrottet praised his opponent, saying “I believe that he will lead with the same decent and the same integrity that he has led with so far.”