NSW Liberals target Sydney's west, coast

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has declared the Liberal party is eyeing off five Labor-held seats in Sydney's west and NSW central coast at the 2019 election.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says the Liberals will be targeting Labor seats at the next election. (AAP)

The NSW Liberals will be targeting voters in Sydney's west and on the central coast in the state government's fight for re-election in 2019.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Saturday declared the party was eyeing off at least five Labor-held seats at the looming state poll - Granville, Strathfield, Prospect, The Entrance and Port Stephens.

"They belong to the Liberal party," she told the crowd at a state council meeting in Sydney.

"We will not be content to just keep the seats we have - we're going after theirs."

All but one of those seats were won by Liberals at the 2011 election but lost to Labor four years later. Prospect - in western Sydney - was only created before the last election.

Ms Berejiklian used her speech to party faithful to boast of the state's successes under her leadership and predecessor Mike Baird.

She said Labor leader Luke Foley reminded voters this week he was "not fit" to lead NSW, referring to his controversial use of the term "white flight" in describing the impact of migration on Sydney's western suburbs.

The premier labelled the comments "divisive, offensive, dangerous and nasty" in parliament. Within an hour, Mr Foley issued an apology.

Federal Labor frontbencher Chris Bowen on Saturday agreed the state opposition leader made a "poor choice of words" but praised him for retracting the comments.

"It is a sign of good leadership to acknowledge when you made a mistake and apologise," he told reporters in Sydney.

He said Mr Foley raised an important issue - the need for more services for communities hosting refugees, including in his own electorate of Fairfield.

Mr Bowen claimed the Labor leader was a regular visitor to the area and understood the people of western Sydney, unlike Ms Berejiklian.

"Gladys Berejiklian has shown no attention to the people of Fairfield," he said.

"I haven't seen her focus on this community."


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Source: AAP


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