In contrast to Country Labor's How to Vote flyer, which encourages voters to direct their Upper House preferences to the Greens, the Electrical Trades Union encourages Labor voters to preference the Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party. 

Electrical Trades Union Deputy Secretary Justin Page said Port Stephens was an electorate where the privatisation of the electricity network would directly affect voters' lives.

"The Karuah River is the dividing line between the Ausgrid and Essential Energy networks. Part of the Essential Energy network, which remains 100 per cent publicly owned, falls inside Port Stephens," Mr Page said. 

"Public polling shows that a majority of voters are opposed to the sell-off the electricity network. We are supporting [Upper House] candidates that do not support privatisation."

The union's bright yellow How to Vote flyers were paid for and printed by the union. 

Mr Page said he did not believe the contrasting advice for Upper House preferences would confuse Labor voters. 

Former Premier Mike Baird said in 2014 that the buyers of the state's electricity network would be required to "guarantee" their prices would be lower in 2019 than in 2014.

However Mr Page said the privatisation of part of the network had been a failure.

"Privatisation has failed the people of NSW, with electricity prices skyrocketing and reliability decreasing," Mr Page said.

"For our members it's seen a decrease in jobs, a decrease in job security and wage stagnation over four years. Our fundamental conditions of employment have been seriously affected."