Key Points: 

• Labour promises to regulate labour hire. 
• Liberals pledge to aid local councils to resist low to mid-rise developments. 
• One Nation promises to slash payroll tax.
• Labour's electoral lead seems contingent on Coalition and One Nation not doing a preference deal. 

 

The NSW State Election will be held on 13 March 2027, and political parties will be ramping up their policy announcements over the coming months.

Master Builders will keep members up to date on NSW Election developments that affect how you run your businesses and impact the pipeline of work for the residential, commercial/industrial and civil construction sectors of the industry.

Our advocacy will be anchored in policy, not party politics; however, this doesn’t mean that it will be dull! Master Builders will respond to policies released by political parties on the issues that matter to our industry.

We will enhance our reputation as the largest and most credible construction association by advancing a policy agenda to enhance the operating environment faced by members and make it easier and more profitable to run a building and construction business.
 

Policy Announcements

So far, there are not a lot of policies out there to scrutinise.

However, the Coalition has made an announcement designed to boost its vote in communities where the Minns Government’s planning reforms are causing friction. The Liberals have announced that that they will make changes to the Minns Government’s Low to Mid-Rise Housing Policy which reduces the ability of local councils to refuse low to mid-rise medium density housing developments. Under the Liberals policy, councils will be given the right to propose alternative development plans that will meet or exceed density created by low to mid rise projects proposed in their jurisdictions. 

In February this year, Liberal leader Kellie Sloane also announced new stamp duty exemption for older buyers who want to down-size from larger established homes. 

 

Meanwhile, Labor has just announced a policy to establish a framework to regulate labour hire which it says responds to the findings of the Kimber Report. Labor says that the policy responds to the Kimber Report, which was only partially released in May 2026 and investigated suspected and alleged misconduct, underpayment and safety breaches on the Sydney Metro project.

The NSW Treasurer also announced that the re-elected Labour Government will introduce a debt ceiling of 15% of Gross State Product (GSP) and will cut NSW Government spending by $10b from what it already owes in an attempt to bring down inflation. 
 

Read more about: 

• Labor's election policy to regulate labour hire
• The Kimber Report 
• Minns Government Low to Mid-Rise Housing Policy
• Liberals and Nationals policy to change the Government's LMR Housing Policy
• Daniel Mookhey speech promising fiscal responsibility 

One Nation's has gone big from day one and has promised to abolish payroll tax in regional areas and reduce it by 50% in Sydney. 

 

What the Polls Say Six Months Out From the Election

The obvious x-factor is the rise of One Nation from a minor party with a fairly consistent primary vote of around 10% to a minor party with a primary vote rivalling that of Labor and the Liberals and Nationals Coalition (Coalition). 

In the DEMOSAU Poll released in August 2026, Labor 's primary vote was steady at 32%, the Coalition at 25% and One Nation at 23%. 

This means that on the traditional 2 party-preferred measure Labor leads the Coalition 57%-43%. However, there are now 3 parties with primary votes in close proximity which potentially changes the game. 

As DEMOSAU notes, right now Labor retaining its lead after preferences have been allocated is contingent on large numbers of Coalition and One Nation voters exhausting their votes (due to not filling out the whole ballot paper) or the Coalition and One Nation not preferencing each other. 

In other words, as of August 2026 this Poll shows that Labor would be out of government if the Coalition and One Nation did a preference deal. You can be sure that Labor is spooked by the is possibility, but the Liberals insist that, at least at this stage, that there won't be a deal. 

The Liberals' position is driven at least partly by its desire to win hold on to State Electorates that fall within Federal Electorates held by Teals and by the need to win back women in the posh suburbs who don't like One Nation and abandoned the Liberals at the 2023 State Election. 

The Poll's key findings included that: 

• 49% of respondents think NSW is heading in the wrong direction. Only 28% think things are going well. 
• Cost of living is considered the major issue followed by housing . 
• Respondents gave Labor a bit of a hammering on both with 69% saying the Minns Government is not handling the cost of living issue well and 60% disapproving of their handling of housing. 

 

Biggest Issue for Voters 

 

 

How Do Voters Rate the Minns Government on the Issues

 

 

Primary Vote Change in 2026 Since the 2023 Election 

 

 

 

Primary Vote - Upper House Results

 

 

 

 

What This Would Mean For the Upper House