SCOTT Morrison said he had always believed in miracles and was happy to count Saturday's federal election victory among them.
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The PM has secured his place in Liberal folklore by almost single-handedly leading the Coalition to another term.
Pollsters have been criticised for getting it so wrong with their predictions for Saturday's result, but they were spot-on as far the lack of personal support for Labor leader Bill Shorten was concerned.
Liberal Party strategists clearly identified Mr Shorten's as Labor greatest weakness and pitched Mr Morrison into a presidential-style campaign, a clear choice of "him or me". And it worked.
National commentators likened Saturday's result to Paul Keating's "true believers" victory over John Hewson in 1993 but NSW voters don't have to go quite that far back to find another case of losing the unloseable election.
In 2007, the state Labor Government was already rotting with a stench of both decay and corruption. The government was being weighed down by the controversies surrounding such names as Obeid, Tripodi, Macdonald and Orkopolous, yet the party machine was not able to get rid of them.
After a 12-year run in power, it was inconceivable that Labor could win again. Except it did.
Member for Vaucluse Peter Debnam led the Liberal Party to the election and oversaw a disastrous campaign.
He had no personal appeal and, as the MP representing the state's wealthiest electorate, had no way of connecting to the vast majority of voters.
But the real test now for Mr Morrison is what comes next. Labor's unlikely victories in 1993 and 2007 both proved to be poisoned chalices and their governments were wiped out at the next elections.
John Howard led the Liberals to victory in 1996 and remained prime minister until 2007 while state Labor was trounced in 2011 and will spend at least 12 years in opposition - maybe more.
The Coalition has three years to ensure it doesn't happen again.
Mr Morrison must unite his party, end the leadership turmoil and find a climate change policy that appeals to middle Australia.
If they get it wrong they could easily end up in opposition after the next election and, if history is any guide, they could be left languishing there for more than a decade.