Premier Mike Baird says he takes "full accountability" for the NSW Nationals' devastating Orange by-election result.
"It's a terrible result, that's the truth of it," Mr Baird told reporters in Sydney on Monday.
"The community there has sent a very loud message and it's something that we need to consider over coming weeks, no doubt about it," he said.
Troy Grant stares down leadership spill
NSW Deputy Premier Troy Grant could be sacked as Nationals leader after the party's disastrous result at the Orange by-election.
Orange has been in Nationals hands for almost 70 years, but the party is barely holding on after suffering a whopping 36 per cent swing against it.
Nationals candidate Scott Barrett holds about 30 per cent of first preference votes with more than half of ballots counted, with around 25 per cent going to Philip Donato from the Shooters Fishers and Farmers.
The Nationals had held Orange by a 21.7 per cent margin, but the result of the weekend's by-election is still in the balance and will likely boil down to preferences.
Nationals MP Andrew Fraser has told the ABC he will put up a leadership still motion at the first party room meeting on Tuesday after the backlash.
The huge swing against the Nationals came after voter anger over council mergers and the state government's now-collapsed greyhound racing ban.
Mr Grant is standing firm amid the civil unrest.
"It's a privilege to serve as NSW Nationals leader and I intend to continue to do so," he said in a statement.
Opposition Leader Luke Foley meanwhile is celebrating after Labor comfortably won the two other by-elections on Saturday at Canterbury and Wollongong.
"It's an electoral earthquake the likes of which has never been seen before in Australia," Mr Foley said of the Orange by-election.
