Dominic Perrottet reflects on the ‘race to the top’ before bowing out as NSW Liberal leader

The line that got the biggest laugh during the outgoing premier, Dominic Perrottet’s concession speech almost didn’t make it in.

Writing his gracious final remarks in the kitchen while drinking a beer and vaping shortly before delivering his speech, some of his staff urged him to remove a gag.

But like he had done many times in the course of his career, the 46th premier of New South Wales went with his gut and against his advisers.

After announcing he would step down as the party’s leader, he quipped the audience that it was time for a “fresh start” – borrowing the Labor slogan. Even if they didn’t agree, the audience laughed along with him.

Perrottet conceded to Chris Minns over the phone and then fronted party faithful shortly before 10pm at the Hilton in Sydney’s CBD.

There were shouts of “shame” from the blue-clad crowd as he started to speak about the dawning of a new government for the state.

But the tone quickly changed as he made it clear to the people in the room, and voters at home, that now was not a time for division. Instead, it was the time to get behind the Labor leader.

He heaped praised on the man who will become the state’s next premier, thanking him for engaging in a “race to the top” and a contest of ideas.

“That is when politics is at its best,” Perrottet said.

“I truly believe and have no doubt that [Minns] will make a fine 47th premier of NSW.”

He asked everyone to support the new premier “because when NSW goes well, our country goes well”. This was a line he repeated throughout his time in the state’s top office.

The outgoing premier made a name for himself during his relatively short tenure at the top of his party for pushing ahead with ideas others hadn’t been willing to touch, like poker machine and stamp duty reform.

Event attenders and staff said if “Dom couldn’t win then no one could”, insisting he was being punished for the crimes of his party and the junior coalition partners.

And while that may be true for some voters, the premier was not without his own challenges.

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His admission to wearing a Nazi uniform to his 21st birthday was hard for many to hear. There were other controversies, like the appointment of former deputy premier John Barilaro to a trade job that engulfed the government for months.

On Saturday night the song Steal My Sunshine blared through the speakers in the ballroom before former prime minister John Howard, his wife, Jeanette, and Liberal minister Alister Henskens walked into the event ahead of Perrottet.

The Sydney Hilton ballroom was still near empty when the election was called for Labor before 8pm and the crowd was still thin when it became clear the opposition would be returned to power after 12 years with a majority about 8.20pm.

But an understandably disappointed young Liberal said they felt proud while listening to Perrottet and hoped the party would learn from its mistakes.

“That was the speech Scott Morrison should have delivered in 2019 but instead tripped and fell and won and he ended up delivering an absolute horror speech in 2022,” the young man said.

“[Perrottet’s] was the speech of a gracious leader and a leader who understood his own shortcomings at the party.”

Like he had for so many days on the trail leading up to the comfortable Labor victory, Perrottet stood beside his wife, Helen, as he thanked candidates, supporters, staff, volunteers and his family.

He made special mention of his seven children, whom he suspected were at home watching and not in bed.

“You are not asleep so can I say that I love you very much – thank you for everything,” he said.