This is a six per cent drop in support since the question was asked in the November Fairfax/Ipsos poll taken shortly before Mr Baird outlined the infrastructure that would be funded by his plan. Opposition to the partial privatisation is up three per cent to 67 per cent. When voters were asked their view if the proceeds were used to fund infrastructure projects in NSW, 47 per cent supported the proposal and 46 per cent were opposed, with eight per cent undecided. This is an eight percent fall in support from November, when a small majority - 55 per cent - said they supported a partial sale under these conditions and 40 per cent were opposed.

Labor says it opposes the privatisation plan because it will lead to a reduction in annual dividends to the government from the electricity businesses and price rises. Mr Baird has said he anticipates earning around $13 billion from the transaction. A further $2 billion is expected in incentive payments from the federal government. The government says it can earn $5 billion in interest to bring the total to $20 billion. In late November, Mr Baird outlined the infrastructure projects he would fund with the proceeds, including $7 billion for a second Sydney Harbour rail crossing and rapid transit line, $1.1 billion towards a "Western Harbour Tunnel" and several billion dollars for hospitals and schools. The poll of 1000 NSW voters was taken between Thursday and Saturday last week. It showed the turmoil engulfing the Abbott government was set to drive almost one in 10 Liberal-National voters away from the Coalition at next month's state election.

However despite this, and despite the fall in support for Mr Baird's privatisation plan, the NSW government led Labor by 56 per cent to 44 per cent on a two party preferred basis. On Monday, NSW Labor's treasury spokesman Michael Daley sought to capitalise on the federal government's woes, saying Mr Baird shared a similar policy agenda to beleaguered Prime Minister Tony Abbott. "All across Australia people are rejecting Liberal Party policies of widespread cuts, flogging off public assets and massive sackings to bring the budget back into surplus," Mr Daley said. "Campbell Newman got punished in Queensland for being an arrogant premier [and] Mike Baird is out there day after day telling people that selling their public assets is good for them." Just 15 per cent of voters polled last week could name Opposition Leader Luke Foley. Mr Daley said Mr Foley, who was absent from Labor's press conference on Monday, was "out and about in the electorate".

"When you have a new leader there's always a battle for people to familiarise themselves with [them] and Luke will be out and about from now until the election … reminding people that the recipe Mike Baird has for this state is not a good one," he said. Despite the Liberal Party's troubles in Queensland and federally, NSW Labor's primary vote has slipped backwards by two per cent since November. Mr Daley said Labor would "keep marching forward to put our case to the people of NSW, and remind them what a very ordinary government this government has been."