ALP leadership hopeful Chris Minns joins Treasurer Dom Perrottet for Vinnies CEO Sleepout

Labor MP Chris Minns will have gone from the frontbench to the backbench and then the backstreets when he joins Treasurer Dom Perrottet on a piece of cardboard for the sleep-out.

He might not be getting much sleep while trying to shore up support for the Labor leadership and it won’t get any easier for MP Chris Minns, as he prepares to spend a cold, winter’s night on the streets of Sydney as part of this year’s Vinnies CEO Sleepout.

Mr Minns will have gone from the frontbench, to the backbench to the backstreets in the space of a few weeks when he takes his place on a piece of cardboard with fellow MP NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet.

Mr Perrottet is himself a future aspirant to the Coalition leadership but is happy to bide his time as Gladys Berejiklian rides a giant wave of popularity.

NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet and Labor MP Chris Minns will be taking part in this years CEO Sleepout to raise awareness of the plight of the homeless. Picture: Richard Dobson

Both pollies have pledged to spend a night sleeping rough on June 17 to support the fight against homelessness. Mr Perrottet said sleeping out for the night will be all about hearing the first-hand experiences of Australians doing it tough.

“Particularly for me as treasurer, it’s the week leading into the budget, so a night off will provide perspective and that’s really important because you learn more being out speaking to people learning from their experiences than sitting behind a desk in Macquarie St,” he said.

“I think it’s really important as leaders for the community to take opportunities to raise awareness for important causes in a great city like Sydney (where) there are still many people doing it tough.’’

Labor MP Chris Minns is also aiming to be the new NSW Labor leader. Picture: Richard Dobson

Mr Minns said while homelessness is “a difficult thing to comprehend” he wants to be involved this year to bring some attention to a major issue in Sydney.

“It’s a chance to reflect on how difficult it would be to live that life. We do it for one night and then go back to our families and warm homes,” he said.

“To think that you would have to do that and it wouldn’t be a choice would be a devastating part of your life and a difficult thing to comprehend.”

While Perrottet and Minns are rivals in parliament, they are working together to highlight the issues facing the homeless. Picture: Richard Dobson

St Vincent de Paul Society NSW CEO Jack de Groot, who will also be participating, said the sleep-out “educates influencers sitting at the major tables around the country about what we need to do about housing the homelessness.”

“There’s a great camaraderie that happens among the CEO’s doing the sleep-out because they have a full night together where they actually do think about the issues of homelessness,” Mr de Groot said.