New South Wales general election, 1988
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| Legislative Assembly election, 1988 | ||||
| Party[1] | Vote %[2] | Seats[3] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | 35.8 | ↑3.6 | 39 | ↑17 |
| National | 13.7 | ↑2.9 | 20 | ↑5 |
| Labor | 38.5 | ↓10.3 | 43 | ↓15 |
| Independents | 7 | ↑4 | ||
| Liberal/National win | ||||
Elections to to the 49th Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday, March 19, 1988. All seats in the Legislative Assembly and half the seats in the Legislative Council were up for election. The result was a landslide win for the Liberal-National Coalition, led by Nick Greiner.
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[edit] Issues
The Liberals' campaign slogan was "A change for the better."
The Australian 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. In 1983, Wran was forced to front the Street Royal Commission and in 1987, Labor Corrective Services Minister Rex Jackson was jailed for accepting bribes for the early release of prisoners.
Greiner campaigned on a promise to clean up state government, foreshadowing the establishment of the Independent Commission Against Corruption.
In rural electorates, Labor's positions on gun laws and conservation alienated many voters. Healthcare was also a campaign issue.
[edit] Result
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.
[edit] Electoral System
Elections to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly were conducted using Instant run-off voting, a form of preferential voting. The government added 10 more seats to the Assembly for the 1988 election, bringing the total number of seats to 109.
