Liberal Party of Australia (New South Wales Division)

The Liberal Party of Australia (New South Wales Division), commonly known as the New South Wales Liberals, is the state division of the Liberal Party of Australia in New South Wales. The party currently governs in New South Wales in coalition with the National Party of Australia (NSW). The party is part of the federal Liberal Party which governs nationally in Coalition with the National Party of Australia.

The party traces its roots to August 1944, when the Democratic Party and Liberal Democratic Party, which had both emerged from the remains of the NSW branch of the United Australia Party, merged as the United Democratic Party. A year later, with the formation of the federal Liberal Party, the UDP became the NSW branch of the new party.

In the 66 years since its foundation the party has won seven state elections to the Labor Party's 13, and has spent 20 years in office (1965 to 1976, 1988 to 1995 and 2011 to the present) to Labor's 46. Seven leaders have become Premier of New South Wales; of those, four, Sir Robert Askin, Nick Greiner, Barry O'Farrell and Mike Baird, have won at least one state election.

Parliamentary party leaders

The position of leader of the Liberal Party of Australia New South Wales Division is a formal role held by a Liberal member of the Parliament of New South Wales. As the Liberal Party has, since its foundation in 1945, been either the largest or second largest party in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, its leader is usually either the Premier or the Leader of the Opposition, depending on the majority or minority respectively of the party. The current leader of the Liberal Party is Gladys Berejiklian, and the deputy leader is Dominic Perrottet. Both have served in those roles since 23 January 2017. Berejiklian is currently Premier of New South Wales, a post she has held since 23 January 2017.

The role is selected by state members of the parliamentary party, but the position is non-fixed in duration, and is usually only vacated upon resignation, retirement from politics, or a spill motion with the support of the majority of the parliamentary members.

The leader only has a role in a parliamentary context; the party division as a whole is governed by a President and Vice-Presidents, who act on the advice of the party division's Director and Deputy Directors. The division also gathers annually at a State Conference to vote on and develop policy to be used by the party's elected representatives. The majority of the twenty Liberal Leaders have been deposed, either after losing elections or when their colleagues determined they could not win an election.

Deputy leaders

Election results

Election	Seats won	±	Total votes	%	Position	Leader
1944	12 / 90	2	239,610	18.91%	Opposition	Reginald Weaver
1947	18 / 90	6	470,485	29.60%	Opposition	Vernon Treatt
1950	29 / 94	11	604,428	37.51%	Opposition	Vernon Treatt
1953	22 / 94	9	432,739	27.94%	Opposition	Vernon Treatt
1956	27 / 94	5	594,740	35.11%	Opposition	Pat Morton
1959	28 / 94	1	603,718	35.35%	Opposition	Pat Morton
1962	25 / 94	3	671,716	34.85%	Opposition	Bob Askin
1965	31 / 94	6	807,868	39.59%	Minority Coalition	Bob Askin
1968	39 / 94	4	831,514	38.47%	Coalition	Bob Askin
1971	32 / 96	7	799,801	35.74%	Coalition	Bob Askin
1973	34 / 99	2	843,325	33.85%	Coalition	Bob Askin
1976	30 / 99	4	978,886	36.29%	Opposition	Eric Willis
1978	18 / 99	12	754,796	26.98	Opposition	Peter Coleman
1981	14 / 99	4	775,463	27.62%	Opposition	Bruce McDonald
1984	22 / 99	8	967,395	32.17%	Opposition	Nick Greiner
1988	39 / 109	17	1,147,613	35.80%	Coalition	Nick Greiner
1991	32 / 99	7	1,053,100	34.16%	Minority Coalition	Nick Greiner
1995	29 / 99	3	1,121,190	32.84%	Opposition	John Fahey
1999	20 / 93	9	927,368	24.82%	Opposition	Kerry Chikarovski
2003	20 / 93	0	944,888	24.72%	Opposition	John Brogden
2007	22 / 93	2	1,061,269	26.94%	Opposition	Peter Debnam
2011	51 / 93	29	1,602,457	38.58%	Coalition	Barry O'Farrell
2015	37 / 93	14	1,545,168	35.08%	Coalition	Mike Baird

See also

• National Party of Australia – NSW

References