Chris Minns

Chris Minns MP
40th Leader of the Opposition of New South Wales
Incumbent
Assumed office 4 June 2021
Premier	Gladys Berejiklian Dominic Perrottet
Deputy	Prue Car
Preceded by	Jodi McKay
Leader of the Labor Party in New South Wales
Incumbent
Assumed office 4 June 2021
Deputy	Prue Car
Preceded by	Jodi McKay
Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Kogarah
Incumbent
Assumed office 28 March 2015
Preceded by	Cherie Burton
Shadow Cabinet Positions Shadow Minister for Transport In office 3 July 2019 – 25 May 2021 Leader Jodi McKay Preceded by Jodi McKay Succeeded by Jo Haylen Shadow Minister for Corrections In office 3 July 2019 – 25 May 2021 Leader Jodi McKay Preceded by Guy Zangari Succeeded by Tara Moriarty Shadow Minister for Water In office 10 March 2016 – 3 July 2019 Leader Luke Foley Michael Daley Preceded by Mick Veitch Succeeded by Clayton Barr
Local Government Deputy Mayor of Hurstville In office 12 September 2007 – 13 September 2008 Mayor Vince Badalati Preceded by Sandy Grekas Succeeded by Philip Sansom Councillor of the Hurstville City Council In office 24 March 2004 – 13 September 2008 Ward Penshurst
Personal details
Born	Christopher John Minns (1979-09-17) 17 September 1979 (age 42) Paddington, New South Wales, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Labor
Spouse(s)	Anna Minns ​ (m. 2005)​
Children	3
Residence	Kogarah, New South Wales[1]
Education	Marist College Kogarah
Alma mater	University of New England Princeton University
Website	www.chrisminns.com.au

Christopher John Minns (born 17 September 1979) is an Australian politician who is the leader of the NSW Labor Party. He was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as the member for Kogarah for the Labor Party at the 2015 New South Wales state election. Minns was previously a Labor Party official, a ministerial adviser, a firefighter and at a youth mental health charity. He has served as a Shadow Minister in the opposition frontbench.^[2]

Biography[]

The son of a school principal, Minns was raised in the St George area, where he studied at Marist College Kogarah.^[3] He holds an undergraduate degree 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).^[4]

Minns is married and has three sons with wife Anna. Upon his return from Princeton, while his wife pursued her own business opportunities Minns became the carer of his young sons before nominating for Parliament.^[5]

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. 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 joined the Australian Labor Party in 1998 when he was 18 years old and was elected as the Member for Kogarah in 2015.

Political career[]

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.^[6]

Minns was assistant secretary of the NSW Labor Party. In his inaugural speech in the Legislative Assembly, he called for a reduction in union influence in the Labor Party, "and increasing representation of ordinary members of our party who have more diverse voices". 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".^[7]

Following Luke Foley's resignation of the role, Minns nominated for the roles of NSW Labor leader and leader of the NSW opposition. On 10 November 2018, Minns lost the leadership spill to Michael Daley, 33 votes to 12.^[8] Later, Minns lost the leadership election to Jodi McKay on a combined caucus and party membership vote of 39.5% to 60.5%.^[9] He was appointed to the portfolios of transport and corrections in the shadow cabinet.^[10]

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.^[11] He was the second MP to resign from shadow cabinet in two days after shadow treasurer Walt Secord, a close supporter of Minns.^[12] On 31 May 2021, after McKay resigned as party leader, Minns announced he would run for party leadership.^[13] 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.^[14] On 4 June 2021, Michael Daley pulled out of the leadership contest, allowing Minns to be elected to the position of leader unopposed.^[15]

Minns is a member of Labor's Right faction.^[16] He is opposed to legislation that would enable voluntary euthanasia.^[17]

See also[]

• Shadow Ministry of Chris Minns

References[]