O'Farrell claims mandate for change in NSW

AAP- March,27-A triumphant Barry O'Farrell has claimed a mandate for change after the coalition demolished Labor in the NSW election, promising to return honesty and accountability to government.
Mr O'Farrell on Saturday led the Liberal/Nationals coalition to its first election victory in NSW in 16 years, decimating the Labor party in one of the biggest voting landslides in the history of federation.
The coalition has already secured 65 seats while Labor could finish with less than 20 in the 93-seat parliament, while the new government could also find itself with a majority in the upper house.
Mr O'Farrell, the state's 43rd premier, pledged to make changes to the NSW struggling transport, health and planning systems and to breathe new life into the state's economy.
"We have a mandate to deliver the real change to make people's lives better; we have a mandate to get on and clean up the mess that was government in NSW and restore confidence in government in NSW," he told Sky News.
"We withstood over the last few days the mother of all campaigns by Labor. But I think people saw through the smears, fears and scares."
He indicated that public sector jobs may be targeted, saying productivity was more important than numbers.
"I have always been of the view that it is not about how many but what they are doing," he said.
"What ... I am determined to ensure is that people who are in the jobs can actually deliver better services to people across this state."
Mr O'Farrell said the coalition has committed to providing 2500 more nurses, 900 more teachers and 550 more police.
He also took a swipe at the NSW Greens, who failed to gain the swing they had hoped for.
"There are the genuine environmental Greens and there is the Lee Rhiannon type Green who seems to be more about old-style leftist policies than modern Australia," Mr O'Farrell said.
"I think that people have turned their back on that a bit."
He said that was reflected in the inner-Sydney seat of Marrickville, where Greens candidate Fiona Byrne had hoped to unseat sitting member Carmel Tebbutt. On Sunday morning the result was still close to call but Ms Tebbutt was in front.
The Greens had been tipped to win another inner western Sydney seat, Balmain, which also remained in the balance on Sunday.
Mr O'Farrell supported federal Liberal leader Tony Abbott in the coalition's campaign against federal government moves to introduce a carbon tax, saying it would hit household budgets.
"You can't support a carbon tax and say you are trying to reduce costs for families because the two don't work," Mr O'Farrell said.
He went on to say the carbon tax pushes up costs, including power prices and threatens jobs.
Mr O'Farrell said he had put Mr Abbott's past criticism of NSW coalition election strategy behind him.
In March last year Mr Abbott told his party room "we won't win the next election by adopting a Barry O'Farrell style small targets strategy".
Mr O'Farrell said: "Tony has my support, I know I have his support and whatever might have been said in the past by both of us is not an issue today."
He said that winning government in NSW required different tactics than a federal campaign.
"Winning government in NSW ... is a marathon," he said.
"It is about having something left in the tank as you get towards the finish line and it's not about how you start campaigns that's important, it's about how you finish."