Chris Minns | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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47th Premier of New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Kogarah | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Christopher John Minns (born 17 September 1979) is an Australian politician serving as the 47th and current premier of New South Wales since March 2023. He has been the leader of the New South Wales branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) since 2021 and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the district of Kogarah since 2015. He was previously the deputy mayor of Hurstville from 2007 to 2008. [4]
Minns was first elected at the 2015 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 of Jodi McKay. He led the party to victory at the 2023 state election.
Minns was raised in the St George region of Sydney in the suburb of Penshurst. [5] He studied at Marist College Kogarah. [6] He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New England in Armidale and attended Princeton University in 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 of NRL club the Canterbury-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]
Minns was first elected to office in 2004 as a Penshurst Ward councillor of the Hurstville 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 of Carl Scully and John Robertson. [11]
In March 2016 a reshuffle of the shadow ministry following the resignation of Linda Burney resulted in Minns being appointed Shadow Minister for Water, replacing Mick Veitch.
Following Luke Foley's resignation as NSW Labor leader and leader of the NSW opposition, Minns nominated for the roles. On 10 November 2018 Minns lost the leadership spill to Michael Daley, 33 votes to 12. [12] After the 2019 state election Minns lost the leadership election to Jodi McKay on 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 the shadow cabinet. [14]
Following Labor's defeat at the Upper Hunter by-election in May 2021 and a possible leadership challenge to McKay, a file titled Why Chris Minns and Jamie Clements can never run the NSW Labor Party was circulated from the office of deputy Labor leader Yasmin 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 treasurer Walt 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] If Michael Daley and Minns had contested for party leadership, it would have been Minns’ third leadership contest and 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]
In 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 on money laundering in 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%) pokies machines (slots). [22] [23]
Minns led the Labor Party to victory at the 2023 New South Wales state election on 25 March, defeating the incumbent Liberal–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 in majority, but were able to form government with the support of three independents Alex Greenwich, Greg Piper and Joe McGirr. [25]
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The Health Services Union accused 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 government Age verification system for social media use. [27]
Minns is a member of Labor Right, [28] and was assistant secretary of the NSW Labor Party. He has been described as a centrist. [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 Minister Scott Morrison, Bill Shorten and 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 mandatory Mandarin Chinese lessons in New South Wales schools. [31] In 2019, Minns argued in favour for the legalisation of cannabis during a party meeting but has since walked back this position since becoming premier. [32] Minns opposed legislation that would enable voluntary euthanasia. [33]
Additionally, 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 the Rail, 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, both Mark Buttigieg and 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]
Penelope Gail Sharpe is an Australian politician. She has served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council since 2005, representing the Labor Party. Since March 2023, Sharpe is the Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council and the Vice-President of the Executive Council since Labor's election victory in March 2023, having previously served as leader of the opposition in the Legislative Council between 2021 and 2023.
Michael John Daley is an Australian politician and has been the Attorney-General of New South Wales since 28 March 2023. He was previously the Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament of New South Wales from November 2018 to March 2019. He is the member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Maroubra for the Australian Labor Party since 2005. Daley is aligned with the Labor Right faction.
Jodi Leyanne McKay is an Australian former politician who was the Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament of New South Wales from June 2019 until May 2021. She previously served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, representing Strathfield for the Labor Party from 2015 to 2021. McKay also previously represented Newcastle for one term from 2007 until her defeat at the 2011 election. Between 2008 and 2011, McKay held a number of junior ministerial responsibilities in the Rees and Keneally governments, including serving as the Minister for the Hunter, Tourism, Small Business, Science and Medical Research, Commerce, and Women, and Minister Assisting the Minister for Health (Cancer). On 17 October 2021, McKay announced she would resign from the parliament, which triggered a by-election in her seat of Strathfield. McKay subsequently became National Chair of the Australia India Business Council.
Lynda Jane Voltz is an Australian politician. She is a Labor Party member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, representing Auburn since 2019.
The New South Wales Labor Party, officially known as the Australian Labor Party and commonly referred to simply as NSW Labor, is the New South Wales branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). The branch is the current ruling party in the state of New South Wales and is led by Chris Minns, who has served concurrently as premier of New South Wales since 2023.
Ryan John Park is an Australian politician. He has been a Labor Party member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly since March 2011, representing the electorate of Keira. He is the current Minister for Health. He previously served as the NSW Shadow Minister for Health since 2019, and the Shadow Minister for the Illawarra since 2013. He is the third most senior Labor MP in the NSW Legislative Assembly.
Walter Secord is a Canadian-born former Australian politician. He was a Labor Party member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from May 2011 to March 2023.
Yasmin Maree Catley is an Australian politician who is the New South Wales Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism and Minister for the Hunter since 2023. She was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as the member for Swansea for the Labor Party at the 2015 New South Wales state election.
Prudence Ann Car is an Australian politician serving as the 20th and current deputy premier of New South Wales since March 2023. She also concurrently serves as the Minister for Education and Early Learning as well as the Minister for Western Sydney in the NSW state government. She has served as the Labor member for Londonderry in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly since 2015. She previously served as the deputy leader of the NSW Opposition, Shadow Minister for Education and Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Learning.
Jihad Dib is an Australian politician.
Trisha Lee Doyle is an Australian politician who was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as the member for Blue Mountains for the Labor Party at the 2015 New South Wales state election.
Kate Rebecca Washington is an Australian politician who has served as Minister for Disability Inclusion and Families and Communities in the Minns Government of New South Wales since 2023. She was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as the member for Port Stephens for the New South Wales Labor Party at the 2015 New South Wales state election.
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An election for the leadership of the New South Wales branch of the Australian Labor Party, the party of opposition in the New South Wales, was held on 10 November 2018. The election was triggered following the resignation of Opposition Leader Luke Foley on 8 November 2018.
An election for the leadership of the New South Wales branch of the Australian Labor Party was held between 7 and 29 June 2019. The election was triggered by the resignation of Leader Michael Daley on 25 March 2019. The election was a combined vote by the party membership and the Labor members of the Parliament of New South Wales, with each component weighted equally. The party members were sent their ballots on 7 June and had until 21 June to return them, while the parliamentary caucus met on 29 June to cast their votes.
The 2023 New South Wales state election was held on 25 March 2023 to elect the 58th Parliament of New South Wales, including all 93 seats in the Legislative Assembly and 21 of the 42 seats in the Legislative Council. The election was conducted by the New South Wales Electoral Commission (NSWEC).
The Shadow Ministry of Jodi McKay was the Labor opposition from July 2019 to May 2021, opposing the Berejiklian government in the Parliament of New South Wales. It was led by Jodi McKay following her election as leader of the party and NSW Leader of the Opposition on 29 June 2019. The shadow ministry was announced on 3 July 2019.
An election for the leadership of the New South Wales Labor Party was held in June 2021, following the resignation of leader Jodi McKay on 28 May 2021.
The Shadow Ministry of Chris Minns was the NSW Labor shadow cabinet from 2021 to 2023. It opposed the Berejiklian and Perrottet governments in the Parliament of New South Wales. It was led by Chris Minns following his election as leader of the party and NSW Leader of the Opposition on 4 June 2021. Other leadership positions including the deputy party leader, leader and deputy leader of the opposition in the Legislative Council were confirmed on 8 June 2021. The rest of the shadow ministry was subsequently announced by Minns on 11 June 2021, effective the following day.
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.