When he announced last month that greyhound racing would be banned from July 1 next year, Mike Baird knew he was picking an ugly fight with a large and well-funded opponent.

He also knew that the issue would be seized on by the state opposition and give leader Luke Foley a rallying cry as he continues to build a profile in the face of a dominant government.

And the proposed ban was always going to put the heat on Mr Baird’s Coalition colleagues, with greyhound racing particular strong in many of the regional areas held by the Nationals – including Bathurst.

But still he pushed forward with the ban and shortly before 3am on Wednesday, it passed the floor of parliament.

Only time will tell just how many votes the ban will cost the government, but Mr Baird – one of the most popular politicians in this country – is giving all MPs a lesson in getting things done while you can.

A politician’s only real currency is the political capital they are able to build up during an election.

The greater a party’s winning margin, the greater their political capital – and Mike Baird has had plenty since coming to the top job.

The best politicians put that political capital to good use by making changes they believe in, regardless of whether or not those decisions will be popular.

That’s what Mr Baird has done with both the greyhounds decision and his council amalgamations program.

Both decisions will cost him and his colleagues votes at the next state election in 2019 but their hope will be that their healthy margins will be enough to see them scrape through for another term.

If the Coalition is re-elected, though, it is likely to be with a greatly reduced majority which means a much smaller stock of political capital.

That’s why it makes sense for political leaders to make decisions while they can and spend their political capital while it’s at its greatest.

Mr Baird had political capital to spare and he’s chosen to spend it on two unlikely issues. Only time will tell if he has spent it wisely.