Social conservative and economic reformer elected to lead Australia's most populous state

FILE PHOTO: The Sydney Opera House and city centre skyline are seen as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Sydney, Australia, April 20, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File Photo

CANBERRA (Reuters) -Dominic Perrottet, a social conservative and economic reformer, was on Tuesday elected as the new state premier of New South Wales, which will within days exit a months-long COVID-19 lockdown that has battered its economy.

Gladys Berejiklian last week resigned as premier of Australia's most populous state after a corruption watchdog said it was investigating whether she was involved in conduct that "constituted or involved a breach of public trust".