Any swing against the government of 15 per cent or more is big news – a boil-over – especially in a byelection, where a swing of this scale is treated as an electoral explosion.

In last Saturday's NSW election, there were such explosions all over the state – 15 seats with at least 15 per cent swings. All but one were in regional seats. What stopped this regional insurrection from getting a lot of exposure was that only four of the 15 seats changed hands.

Hidden swings: Deputy Premier Troy Grant (left) and Premier Mike Baird get back to work after their election win. Credit:Mick Tsikas

One changed hands spectacularly when the Greens won Ballina with a massive 26.7 swing against the Nationals. The Greens also gained a 24 per cent swing against the Nationals in Lismore, which remains a photo finish, with the Nationals slightly favoured to win.

While these insurrections garnered enormous attention, and gave the Greens three lower house seats, up from one, with a chance to win a fourth, the state-wide swing to the Greens was just 0.3 per cent. Despite the regional groundswell against coal-seam gas mining, the needle barely moved for the Greens in the state-wide primary vote.