NSW election: upper house in focus

NSW LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

Number of seats up for grabs: 21 (half of total)

LC seats that have expired

Labor: 9

Liberals: 5

Nationals: 3

Greens: 2

Christian Democrats: 1

Shooters and Fishers: 1

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT:

The makeup of the upper house is crucial to the passage of legislation. The Christian Democrats and the Shooters have effectively held the balance of power and both have threatened to block the Baird government's signature power privatisation policy. The coalition will hope it can pick up enough seats to command a majority in the upper house so it avoids watering down its sell-off plan through deals with the minor parties.