Trouble ahead for poles plan: Greens

Premier Mike Baird still faces a battle in his plan to privatise NSW's electricity assets with the Greens pledging to block him in the state's upper house.

NSW Greens MP John Kaye

The NSW Greens have pledged to block plans to privatise electricity assets in the NSW upper house. (AAP)

NSW Premier Mike Baird has "trouble ahead" for his plan to privatise electricity assets, with the Greens pledging to block the sale in parliament despite the coalition being returned to power in Saturday's election.

Greens Upper House MP John Kaye says Mr Baird cannot claim a mandate to proceed with his controversial plan to lease 49 per cent of the state's electricity poles and wires if the Greens, Labor and Shooters parties retain the balance of power in the upper house.

"There will be trouble ahead if the Greens and Labor and Shooters have a mandate to block that privatisation," Mr Kaye told ABC TV.

Numbers in the upper house may not be clear for weeks but Mr Kaye said the three parties were committed to blocking the privatisation.

"People voted for us in large numbers to cause this to happen," he said.

"This is a democracy - it has two houses of parliament.

"If the second house of parliament says no to electricity privatisation, it doesn't happen."

In his victory speech on Saturday night, Mr Baird said he had sought a mandate "to make NSW great".

"Tonight the people of NSW have given us that mandate," he said.

Mr Baird wants to raise $20 billion from privatisation to spend on roads and other infrastructure.


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Source: AAP


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