A general election for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly was held in the state of New South Wales, Australia, on Saturday 1 May 1976. The result was a narrow win for the Labor Party under Neville WranâÂÂthe party's first in the state in more than a decade.
The incumbent Liberal-Country Party coalition had lost its long-time leader, Sir Robert Askin, who retired in January 1975. Eric Willis was seen as the favourite to replace him. Despite Askin's initial support, Willis refused his help, preferring to gain the leadership on his own merits. Askin then threw his support behind the Minister for Lands, Tom Lewis. Willis, sure he had sufficient support, refused to campaign, but the parliamentary party backed Lewis, leading to the latter's election as Liberal leader and, consequently, premier. However, there was a leadership spill in January 1976, resulting in the installation of Willis as party leader and premier.
Former Minister Steve Mauger resigned on 27 January 1976, sparking a by-election in his seat of Monaro in May, and early polls indicated a large swing to Labor. Willis announced an early election on 1 May, thereby avoiding the by-election, in the hope of preventing a larger move of voters against the government.
Wran successfully emerged from the shadow of the defeated Whitlam Labor government at a federal level. Labor's campaign focussed largely on Wran himself, with what Australians call a "presidential-style" campaign. The state Labor Party had undergone a long process of renewal, and emerged with strong moderate credentials. Labor also offered an alternative to a long-serving government widely perceived as corrupt.
Wran's campaign slogan, "Let's put the state in better shape", delivered by the leader, along with key spokesmen Peter Cox and Syd Einfeld, resonated with voters.
The election was in doubt for several days. Ultimately, the seats of Gosford and Hurstville fell to Labor by only 74 and 44 votes respectively. Had the Coalition retained those seats, it would have stayed in power with a one-seat majority, but the loss of Gosford and Hurstville gave Labor a one-seat majority.
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