JAMIE PARKER has made history as the first Greens MP in the NSW lower house after winning the inner-west seat of Balmain, in a final insult to the Labor Party.

Mr Parker, who had to wait a week to claim victory after a tight contest, said yesterday he expected to win the seat by more than 1000 votes from Liberal candidate James Falk.

The contest was initially thought to be between the incumbent, Labor's Verity Firth, and Mr Parker, but Ms Firth slipped to third place after preferences were distributed.

While the mayor of Leichhardt celebrated his win, Ms Firth was coming to terms with losing the electorate she has represented since 2007.

She is also dealing with speculation that she separated from her husband Matthew Chesher, after his arrest for buying an ecstasy tablet.