The NSW Labor government is faced with the task of negotiating with the crossbench to pass legislation after the Liberal Party secured the final seat in the upper house. The NSW Electoral Commission distributed preferences after three weeks of poll closure, resulting in an even split between the left and right wings in the upper house chamber. The government and coalition opposition will have 15 members each, which means that Labor will either require the support of a right-wing crossbencher or must convince a right-wing MP to take the president’s chair to pass bills. Rachel Merton, a former Australian Classification Board member and Perrottet government staffer, narrowly defeated Alison Waters of the Animal Justice Party to win the 21st and final seat for the Liberal Party. Election analyst Kevin Bonham suggests that Labor has a history of working well with the right-wing Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party and could also negotiate with former Liberal Party member John Ruddick, who was elected for the Liberal Democrats. The government, however, has ruled out dealing with One Nation leader Mark Latham. Meanwhile, the Animal Justice Party failed to replicate its success in the previous two elections, and One Nation celebrated an increase in representation to three members.