In a taste of what next year's state election campaign might look like, Labor has ramped up its attack against the NSW government after cruising to two by-election victories in the Hunter region.
Opposition Leader John Robertson looked a relieved man after his party reclaimed Newcastle and Charlestown in by-elections triggered by the resignations of Liberals Tim Owen and Andrew Cornwell.
The pair quit after admitting before the Independent Commission Against Corruption of taking banned donations.
Mr Robertson says he's now focused on taking the fight up to the Liberal Party in the March general election.
"Over the next five months we'll be working hard holding this government to account and detailing to people that there is an alternative," he told reporters in Newcastle on Sunday.
"There's an alternative that you can trust with a plan for a brighter and better future for NSW."
Premier Mike Baird says the Liberals will be back stronger than ever in the 2015 election.
"Between now and March, I will be reminding the people of Newcastle and the Hunter that, unlike NSW Labor, we did not take them for granted," he said.
Cuts to health, education and Mr Baird's proposal to lease 49-per-cent of the state's electricity distribution assets are seen as key areas of focus during the election campaign.
Mr Baird is taking his 'poles and wires' sell-off plan to the 2015 election and says it will put downward pressure on electricity prices and allow the government to spend billions of dollars it raises in the sale on much needed infrastructure.
But Mr Robertson says privatising the assets will be bad news for ratepayers and the state budget bottom dollar.
"(It's) going to leave this state worse off by about $1.7 billion every a year and on top of that pushing people's energy prices even higher," the Labor leader said.
Despite his fighting words, Mr Robertson has a massive task ahead of him in the March poll.
Labor holds 23 seats in the lower house of parliament - well short of the 47 needed to govern.
And there are also questions over the ALP's performance in the Newcastle by-election.
While the seat is no longer considered to be a Labor stronghold, the party would have hoped for a more comfortable victory on Saturday.
Newcastle councillor and incoming Labor MP Tim Crakanthorp only managed a swing of six per cent towards the ALP.
That's compared to the impressive 20 per cent swing gained by Lake Macquarie mayor Jodie Harrison in Charlestown.
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