Christopher John Minns(born 17 September 1979) is an Australian politician serving as the 47th and currentpremier of New South Walessince March 2023. He has been the leader of theNew South Wales branchof theAustralian Labor Party(ALP) since 2021 and a member of theNew South Wales Legislative Assembly(MLA) for the district ofKogarahsince 2015. He was previously thedeputy mayor of Hurstvillefrom 2007 to 2008.[4]
Chris Minns | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Minns in 2022. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 47thPremier of New South Wales Elections:2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 28 March 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monarch | Charles III | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Governor | Margaret Beazley | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Prue Car | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Dominic Perrottet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader of the Opposition in New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 4 June 2021 – 28 March 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Premier | Gladys Berejiklian Dominic Perrottet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Prue Car | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Jodi McKay | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Mark Speakman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader of the New South Wales Labor Party | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 4 June 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Prue Car | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Jodi McKay | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of theNew South Wales Legislative AssemblyforKogarah | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 28 March 2015 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Cherie Burton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Christopher John Minns 17 September 1979 St George,New South Wales,Australia[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Labor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse |
Anna Minns (m.2005) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Residences |
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| Education | Marist College Kogarah[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of New England Princeton University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Minns was first elected at the2015 New South Wales state election,and was elected unopposed as leader of the Labor Party in the leadership election of June 2021, following the resignation ofJodi McKay.He led the party to victory at the2023 state election.
Early and personal life
editMinns was raised in theSt George region of Sydneyin the suburb ofPenshurst.[5]He studied atMarist College Kogarah.[6]He holds a Bachelor of Arts from theUniversity of New Englandin Armidale and attendedPrinceton Universityin the United States where he was awarded a Masters in Public Policy (2012–13).[7]
Minns is married and has three sons with his wife Anna. Upon his return from Princeton, while his wife pursued her own business opportunities Minns became the carer of his sons before nominating for parliament.[8]
Minns has previously worked in the charity sector for a youth mental health charity, as a firefighter, as an advisor in the NSW government and as the assistant secretary of the NSW Labor Party.
He joined the Australian Labor Party in 1998 when he was 18 years old[5]and was elected as the member for Kogarah in 2015.
Minns is a supporter ofNRLclub theCanterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.[9]
Minns' father, John, died on the 1 May 2024 after suffering a heart attack. In Minns' inaugural speech, he spoke about his love for his father, and thanked him for bringing Minns into the "Labor tribe".[10]
Political career
editMinns was first elected to office in 2004 as a Penshurst Ward councillor of theHurstville City Council,and was elected for a term as deputy mayor in 2007–2008; he left council at the 2008 election after serving a single term. He also worked on the staff ofCarl ScullyandJohn Robertson.[11]
Premier
edit
In March 2016 a reshuffle of theshadow ministryfollowing the resignation ofLinda Burneyresulted in Minns being appointed Shadow Minister for Water, replacingMick Veitch.
FollowingLuke Foley's resignation as NSW Labor leader and leader of the NSW opposition, Minns nominated for the roles. On 10 November 2018 Minns lost theleadership spilltoMichael Daley,33 votes to 12.[12]After the2019 state electionMinns lost theleadership electiontoJodi McKayon a combined caucus and party membership vote of 60.5% to 39.5%.[13]He was appointed to the portfolios of transport and corrections in theshadow cabinet.[14]
2021 leadership challenge
editFollowing Labor's defeat at theUpper Hunter by-electionin May 2021 and a possible leadership challenge to McKay, a file titledWhy Chris Minns and Jamie Clements can never run the NSW Labor Partywas circulated from the office of deputy Labor leaderYasmin Catley.Minns was disappointed with the lack of explanation or communication from McKay and Catley over the file circulation, and resigned from shadow cabinet on 26 May.[15]He was the second MP to resign from shadow cabinet in two days after shadow treasurerWalt Secord,a close supporter of Minns.[16]On 31 May 2021, after McKay resigned as party leader, Minns announced he would run for party leadership.[17]IfMichael Daleyand Minns had contested for party leadership, it would have been Minns’ thirdleadership contestand his second one versus Daley. Minns’ leadership bid was publicly supported by more than a dozen senior Labor MPs including Penny Sharpe, Ryan Park, Jihad Dib, and Prue Car.[18]On 4 June 2021, Michael Daley pulled out of the leadership contest, allowing Minns to be elected to the position of leader unopposed.[19]
Opposition Leader
editIn the 2023 NSW election campaign, Minns made election promises to invest further into public services.[20]He had been criticised for being reluctant to promise reform onmoney launderingin gambling,[21]however on 16 January Minns released a plan to reform gambling, which would ban donations from clubs (gambling organisations) to political parties and promises a cashless gaming card trial, which would last for 12 months and cover 500 of the approximately 86,480 (0.58%)pokiesmachines (slots).[22][23]
2023 election
editMinns led the Labor Party to victory at the2023 New South Wales state electionon 25 March, defeating the incumbentLiberal–National Coalition,returning Labor to power at the state level for the first time since 2011.[24]Despite winning the election, Labor did not win enough seats to govern inmajority,but were able to form government with the support of threeindependentsAlex Greenwich,Greg PiperandJoe McGirr.[25]
Premiership
editThis sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(June 2024) |
TheHealth Services Unionaccused the Minns government of being too slow to remove the 3 per cent limit on pay rises.[26]
In 2024, Minns supported the federal labor governmentAge verification systemfor social media use.[27]
Political views
editMinns is a member ofLabor Right,[28]and was assistant secretary of the NSW Labor Party. He has been described as acentrist.[29]
In 2003 Chris Minns attended the Australia Israel Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) inaugural Rambam trip to Israel, at the time adviser to NSW Minister for Roads and Housing Carl Scully. Attending alongside Minns were former Prime MinisterScott Morrison,Bill Shortenand the Federal Opposition leader Simon Crean's foreign policy adviser Carl Ungerer.[30]
In his inaugural speech in the Legislative Assembly, Minns criticised the state government's sale of NSW's electricity assets and called for mandatoryMandarin Chineselessons in New South Wales schools.[31]In 2019, Minns argued in favour for thelegalisation of cannabisduring a party meeting but has since walked back this position since becoming premier.[32]Minns opposed legislation that would enablevoluntary euthanasia.[33]
Views on union influence in the Labor Party
editAdditionally, Minns called for a reduction in union influence in the Labor Party in favour of "increasing representation of ordinary members of our party who have more diverse voices", stating that while trade unions were integral to the success and heritage of the Labor Party, the party also needs to represent those who are not in a trade union, and that will mean taking steps to reduce union control on Labor's conference floor.[34]
Bob Nanva,national secretary of theRail, Tram and Bus Union,while acknowledging that Minns had been "an extraordinarily effective Assistant General Secretary of the ALP", rebuked him for being "seriously mistaken" on his views about unions.[35]Additionally, bothMark Buttigiegand NSW Labor Party secretary Jamie Clements disagreed with Minns' contention regarding unions.[36]By 2019, Minns reportedly no longer held those views, according to HSU NSW state secretary Gerard Hayes.[37]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^abcCormack, Lucy (6 June 2021)."Who is Chris Minns? NSW Labor's new leader wants to be the next Keating".The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^O'Doherty, James (15 July 2021)."Chris Minns will move into his electorate after selling family home".The Daily Telegraph.
- ^Chancellor, Jonathan (23 August 2021)."New state Labor leader Chris Minns pays $1.7m for Kogarah home".news.com.au.Archived fromthe originalon 22 June 2022.
- ^"Mr (Chris) Christopher John MINNS, MP".Members of theParliament of New South Wales.Retrieved15 December2019.
- ^abRuby Cornish (25 March 2023)."Who is Chris Minns? What you need to know about the incoming NSW premier".Australian Broadcasting Corporation.Retrieved29 March2023.
- ^Trembath, Murray (23 May 2019)."Minns says Labor needs 'new generation' leadership".St George & Sutherland Shire Leader.Retrieved3 June2021.
- ^Trembath, Murray (23 May 2019)."Minns says Labor needs 'new generation' leadership".St George & Sutherland Shire Leader.Retrieved3 June2021.
- ^"About Chris".www.chrisminns.com.au.Retrieved3 June2021.
- ^Chris Minns (4 August 2023)."I'm a Bulldogs man and you don't change teams - but I couldn't say no to a jersey from these Juniors".Twitter.Retrieved4 August2023.
- ^"NSW premier's father dies days after suffering heart attack".ABC News.1 May 2024.Retrieved6 May2024.
- ^"NSW Election 2015 – Kogarah".ABC News.March 2015.Retrieved31 March2015.
- ^"NSW Labor elects paperboy turned lawyer Michael Daley as new leader".ABC News.10 November 2018.Retrieved10 November2018.
- ^"Jodi McKay wins NSW Labor leadership from Chris Minns after three-month process".ABC News.29 June 2019.
- ^"McKay unveils new Shadow Ministry".NSW Labor. July 2019.
- ^Nguyen, Kevin; Collins, Antonette (26 May 2021)."Chris Minns quits NSW shadow ministry, Labor staffer sacked over 'dirt dossier'".ABC News.Archivedfrom the original on 26 May 2021.Retrieved26 May2021.
- ^Davies, Anne (26 May 2021)."NSW Labor in turmoil as Jodi McKay's leadership rival Chris Minns quits frontbench over dossier".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 26 May 2021.Retrieved26 May2021.
- ^"Chris Minns officially enters NSW Labor leadership battle".ABC News. 31 May 2021.Retrieved31 May2021.
- ^Turnbull, Tiffanie (3 June 2021)."Labor MPs rush to publicly support Minns".Retrieved3 June2021.
- ^Raper, Ashleigh (4 June 2021)."Kogarah MP Chris Minns to be NSW Opposition Leader after Michael Daley pulls out".ABC News.Retrieved4 June2021.
- ^"Labor's Fresh Start Plan for NSW".Chris Minns.Retrieved11 February2023.
- ^Livingstone, Charles (21 December 2022)."NSW Pokies: Bipartisan support needed from Labor's Chris Minns on cashless gaming".The Sydney Morning Herald.Retrieved11 February2023.
- ^Rabe, Tom (16 January 2023)."Labor to slash pokie numbers and back a mandatory cashless gaming trial".The Sydney Morning Herald.Retrieved11 February2023.
- ^"Labor's cashless gaming trial to include 0.58% of all pokie machines as they release gambling policy".6 News Australia.17 January 2023.Retrieved8 March2023.
- ^Rabe, Tom (25 March 2023)."'NSW has voted for change': NSW Labor returns from the wilderness ".Sydney Morning Herald.Retrieved26 March2023.
- ^Wade, Matt; Cormack, Lucy (27 March 2023)."Majority government in the balance as independents promise Labor supply".The Sydney Morning Herald.Retrieved4 April2023.
- ^Raper, Asheligh (20 May 2023)."Chris Minns fends off fight with union boss, but more combatants are waiting in the wings".ABC News.Archivedfrom the original on 19 June 2024.Retrieved22 May2023.
But the Health Services Union has accused the Minns government of being too slow to remove the current 3 per cent limit on pay rises and negotiate new agreements before they expire at the end of June.
- ^Martin, Lisa (29 June 2019)."Jodi McKay elected New South Wales Labor leader after tense meeting".The Guardian.Retrieved27 May2021.
- ^"Australia's most powerful state: From NSW to Victoria which state wields the most power?".7 August 2023.
- ^Bard, Aviva (28 November 2003)."Eight Future Australian Leaders see for themselves".National Library of Australia Trove.
- ^Read, Michael (4 June 2021)."Minns to lead NSW Labor after Daley bows out".Australian Financial Review.Retrieved16 July2022.
- ^McGowan, Michael (17 April 2023)."'Regulate it': Minns once argued for legalised cannabis in NSW ".The Sydney Morning Herald.Retrieved30 May2023.
- ^McGowan, Michael (19 May 2022)."NSW passes voluntary assisted dying laws after marathon upper house debate".TheGuardian.com.
- ^Napier-Raman, Kishor (4 June 2019)."The battle for NSW Labor".Crikey.Retrieved16 July2022.
- ^"Work experience with real people is the cure for 'out of touch' pollies".SMH.13 May 2015.Retrieved23 March2019.
- ^Patty, Anna (28 May 2015)."Backlash grows over ALP's Chris Minns' anti-union push".The Sydney Morning Herald.Fairfax Media.Retrieved16 July2022.
- ^"NSW Labor leadership hopeful in 'huge coup' as big unions swing their support".The Sydney Morning Herald.Fairfax Media. 29 May 2019.Retrieved16 July2022.
External links
edit
Media related toChris Minnsat Wikimedia Commons
