Chris Minns has launched his challenge for the NSW Labor leadership, saying the party needs a “new generation” after three state election losses on the trot.
Pointing out that Labor had not won an election at NSW or federal level since 2010, Mr Minns, 39, said he believed he could bring a fresh approach to the party which could see it win government in 2023.
Almost immediately, two unions issued statements opposing Mr Minns, based on comments he made in his maiden speech in 2015 that he wanted to reduce union influence on the Labor conference floor.
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Mr Minns will take on the opposition’s transport spokeswoman, Jodi McKay, 49, who is expected to announce her candidature today, in a ballot split 50-50 between rank-and-file branch members and caucus.
The results of the ballot as to who replaces Michael Daley as leader are expected in early July.
“My contention to my colleagues — and for some it might be uncomfortable — is what we’re doing isn’t working,” Mr Minns said yesterday.
He said he was standing after two “sad” election losses.
“I don’t believe now is the time to crawl up in a ball and refuse to put our shoulder behind good Labor Party policy,” Mr Minns said. “(But) when we are developing policy for the future of the state and the country, we must remember the people of Australia are ambitious.
“They are ambitious for themselves, they are ambitious for their families and they’re ambitious for their country, and they can’t believe the Labor Party’s antagonistic to that success.”
But with Mr Minns’s leadership bid being opposed by NSW Labor’s general secretary, Kaila Murnain, he immediately was met with statements from unions saying they would oppose him. The NSW secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, Steve Murphy, said: “We do not have confidence in Chris Minns’s ability to unite the labour movement in this state.
“His view on the role of unions in the Labor Party, as well as his views on critical policy areas such as privatisation, are unacceptable for someone in the role of opposition leader or premier.”
An even harsher statement came from the Newcastle branch of the meatworkers union, which said: “If Mr Minns wants to lead a party of out-of-touch elitists who have no idea what life is like for regular Australians, he can go and have a crack at the leadership of the Liberal Party.
“The AMIEU has well-honed knife skills for dealing with rogues. If Mr Minns thinks he can unite the Labor Party behind him after these kind of comments then he’s about to find out just how sharp our knives are.”
Mr Minns said his role over the next month would be to convince union members to vote for him.
“I don’t want to attack the trade union movement under any circumstances,” he said. “These are people who work their tail off on behalf of their members.”
Mr Minns said he believed in more public spaces and better infrastructure, not lower immigration, and action on climate change. He would make further announcements about planning and lockout laws, he said. When he ran for the leadership against Mr Daley last year, Mr Minns said he wanted to scrap lockout laws.
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NSW Political Editor
Sydney
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