NSW Labor Party bosses have been secretly canvassing backbenchers to gauge waning support for Nathan Rees in the party room, just two months after he was installed as Premier.
At the same time they have been soliciting support for former unions boss John Robertson to pave a smooth path in the caucus for his elevation to the ministry within weeks.
The Daily Telegraph has learned that Labor Party president Bernie Riordan has called at least six right-wing Labor MPs in the past week asking if they still supported the left-wing leader.
"He asked how we thought Nathan was going," one MP said.
Mr Riordan is an ally of Mr Robertson and saw himself as a major player in the downfall of Morris Iemma and the defeat of electricity privatisation.
But Mr Riordan's furtive straw poll came as some Sydney MPs showed signs of dissent with the new administration, claiming they were being abused in their electorates for the planned budget cuts to metro rail, back-to-school allowances and bus passes.
Some MPs have revealed they were also asked what their opinion was of newly elected MP Mr Robertson, a regular companion of right-wing factional boss Joe Tripodi,
One MP described it as an exercise in courting the "Terrigals" - the once dominant sub-faction of the right.
