Australia's NSW gov't says to be quick to lease electricity assets

Australia's New South Wales (NSW) Coalition government has said it would be quick to privatize the state's 20 billion Australian dollar (15.5 billion U.S. dollar) electricity assets after winning the state election over the weekend.

The NSW Coalition secured a convincing victory on Saturday, despite a major scare campaign against its power privatization plan.

NSW Mike Baird told reporters on Monday that the election win was a mandate from the people to activate the privatization plan.

Baird said he wanted the privatization legislation before NSW Parliament soon.

"So it's underway. I mean we want to do everything we can for the people of this state. We put forward a critical measure that provides the funding. Our job now is to get on with it. There is a range of things to do this afternoon, and tomorrow," he said.

"As Parliament comes back, the sooner we can get Parliament back, we will be coming back. Look, we are working from today and I think that's what the people of NSW want to see.

"I mean certainly what we were given, I think, is an incredible opportunity now to make a difference to people across this state. We are determined to do it."

Despite the NSW Coalition win there was a 9 percent swing to the Australian Labor Party, which used scare tactics that focused on claims that the NSW government was planning to sell the electricity assets to China's State Grid Corporation.

The campaign, which also involved an Australian union, was criticized by Coalition MPs and Australian business leaders as racist, anti-Chinese and xenophobic, and could hurt trade between China and Australia. Endi