Chris Minns to soon face first test as union discussions approach
Premier-elect Chris Minns’ first test as NSW’s leader will soon come, with NSW’s new leader refusing to say when he’ll legislate to remove wage caps despite union discussions looming in his first few months of government.
State Election
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Incoming Premier Chris Minns will be forced to negotiate with key unions within months, with the new Labor government warned it must deliver “real wage increases that don’t bankrupt the state”.
The warning, from the Unions NSW boss, came hours after Mr Minns claimed victory pledging to remove the “unfair wages cap in NSW”.
On Sunday, Mr Minns refused to put a time frame on when he will legislate to remove the wages cap, saying some unions may need to be put on temporary awards until a new system is put in place.
“It’s not unheard of to have interim deals that will get you through a few months,” he told The Daily Telegraph.
“Given we want to set up a new system that works and is fair, I’m not ruling out the prospect of having rollover agreements until we can get a new structure in place.”
The Health Services Union, Public Service Association, and Nurses union all have awards that are due to expire by July, meaning the Minns government will be forced into negotiations on pay and conditions within months.
Union bosses want any increase in wages paid for by cuts elsewhere, including “across the bureaucracy”.
Before the election, the independent parliamentary budget office warned there were “significant risks” that Mr Minns would be unable to find savings to pay for its wage cap policy. Labor insists that it can.
Mr Minns told the Telegraph that abolishing the wage cap was one of his “legislative priorities,” after his first order of business – which will be to enshrine Sydney Water in the state’s constitution.
Other priorities for Labor’s first 100 days include tackling energy security, and delivering electricity bill rebates to low income households and businesses.
With no votes counted on Sunday, Mr Minns was still no closer to finding out if Labor would govern in its own right, or in minority – with the support of the cross bench.
Party sources expected Mr Minns would get at least 47 seats, which would amount to a Labor majority.
Labor’s immediate priorities will also be directed towards keeping staff in hospitals and schools, Mr Minns said.
“We have to turn around the retention crisis. We know that we’ll be judged on those results,” he said.
Mr Minns started working with the Department of Premier and Cabinet shortly after he claimed victory on Saturday night.
Despite Labor’s clear victory, the Liberal party was not admitted defeat in a number of key contests on Sunday. A spokesman said that the party had conceded to Labor in Parramatta, Riverstone, South Coast, and to independent Michael Regan in Wakehurst. Other contests, the spokesman said, were still too close to call.
Counting was set to resume on Monday after the NSW electoral commission took yesterday off.
Following his election win, Mr Minns emerged on Sunday shortly before 11am, visiting a local cafe and talking to constituents in his electorate.
He met with his leadership team in the dining room of his Kogarah home.
Mr Minns, who praised outgoing Premier Dominic Perrottet in his victory speech, also revealed to the Telegraph that he may call on the advice of his bested political rival.
“I wouldn’t hesitate to ring him up and ask for advice,” Mr Minns said.
“That doesn’t mean I’m going to take it, it doesn’t mean the advice he gives me will be consistent with Labor values, but why not?”
“I think that the state could benefit from that kind of dialogue.”
The incoming Premier credited his victory – particularly in Western Sydney – with winning over people who voted for the Coalition at the last election.
“We had to win voters that had cast their vote not long ago for (former Prime Minister) Scott Morrison,” he said.
He said messages about how Labor would deal with current problems were central to that success.
“We haven’t seen inflation running between seven and eight per cent Australia for a long time, and they wanted a government that was in place that was listening to them,” he said.
He credited his success with a “lean” operation that relied on MPs speaking directly with voters about their concerns.
The Telegraph can also reveal that Mr Minns will take his frontbench to communities in Western Sydney for ‘community cabinet’ sessions to hear directly with voters – including those that voted against him.
“I’d like to keep that as a feature of our government,” he said.
“We just can’t be in a position where there’s a barrier between the senior leadership with the government and the people that we rely on us,” he said.
‘STUNNING’: THE SCIENCE BEHIND MINNS’ WIN
Labor’s party leaders have lined up to congratulate Chris Minns for his “stunning” victory in the NSW election, describing the landslide result as an emphatic endorsement of the premier-elect.
ALP National President Wayne Swan said the swing toward the party was “everywhere” in the state.
“There was nowhere for the Coalition to hide,” he said.
“The city, the suburbs, the coast and the regions all turned against the Coalition.
“The consistency of the swing demonstrates this.”
NSW Labor President and federal cabinet minister Michelle Rowland said the large number of vacated seats without a recontesting sitting member had fuelled the presidential nature of the election campaign.
“I think Chris Minns distinguished himself as someone who was focused on immediate cost of living relief, he’s someone who was focused on education, the future, and really about making life a bit better,” she told Sky News.
Mr Rowland said she believed the wall-to-wall Labor governments on the mainland, including the NSW one led by Mr Minns, would approach arguments and negotiations with the Albanese Government in a “mature” and ”pragmatic” way.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton also offered his congratulations to Mr Minns.
“He follows in the footsteps of a fine Premier,” Mr Dutton said.
“Dom and Chris conducted themselves with dignity and class we don’t always see from political leaders.”
Federal Nationals leader David Littleproud said he believed the length of time the Coalition had been in power in NSW was a factor in their loss on Saturday.
“it‘s the people’s choice and they’ve made their choice,” he said.
“You‘ve got to respect that. You’ve got to learn, you’ve got to listen, you’ve got to understand and you’ve got to rebuild trust.”
MINNS’ FIRST MOVES AS PREMIER REVEALED POST-ELECTION
Soon-to-be NSW Premier Chris Minns has said his government’s first priority will be putting Sydney Water into the constitution to prevent future privatisation.
Increasing the wage cap of essential workers will also be tackled in the first weeks of the newly minted Labor government.
Speaking at his first media event as premier-elect, Minns said he felt the need to rebuild essential services was pivotal to the party’s success at the polls.
He said the victory had more to do with Labor policies than a rejection of the Liberal Party.
“ Our plan with relation to schools and hospitals resonated in the state and people in NSW agreed with us that privatisation had gone too far,” he said.
“But I’m sure people vote for a whole range of reasons.”
While the premier has yet to announce his cabinet he said that the majority of his colleagues would keep their current portfolios.
“We’ll have to wait and see what the composition of the NSW parliament will be…I’ll have those conversations with my colleagues in the next few days,” he said.
Regardless of the outcome Minns said he felt the way with which the election campaign had been handled by both parties set a precedent for all future campaigns.
“You can have a political campaign that’s respectful and civil and focused on the issues, that doesn’t take the low road, that doesn’t focus on trying to destroy someone’s personality or character,” he said.
“I think the voters resonated with that… no one will be able to say that it’s impossible to run a positive, optimistic campaign.”
‘RELIEVED’ MINNS, SMILING PERROTTET EMERGE AFTER ELECTION
Next NSW Premier Chris Minns has been congratulated by residents as he dropped into his favourite local cafe on Sunday morning.
Mr Minns emerged from his Kogarah home just before 11am after his landslide election victory.
With his wife and three sons by his side and accompanied by a retinue of staff and security, the premier-elect took a stroll to his favourite local cafe, five minutes away.
The picket fence out the front of his house was still plastered with his face, the corflutes still staked in his yard.
Minns was stopped by multiple Kogarah residents who congratulated him on his victory.
The man set to steer the state said he had been on the zero alcoholic beers on Saturday evening before getting a good night’s sleep.
“I’m feeling good, I’m feeling relieved,” Mr Minns said.
“It was a nice night celebrating and now back down to work.”
A happy Mrs Minns also shot off a zinger.
“Time to say goodbye to my husband,” Anna Minns joked.
PERROTTET EMERGES AFTER COALITION’S ELECTION MASSACRE
Former Premier Dominic Perrottet has emerged after the Coalition were comprehensively booted from government.
Mr Perrottet left his Beecroft home at 9.30am Sunday, about 12 hours after he conceded defeat to new Premier Chris Minns.
Labor has claimed a majority government, while the Coalition currently sits on 21 seats, with 12 still yet to be decided.
Mr Perrottet said more family time was high on his agenda as he came to terms with the scale of his loss in yesterday’s state election.
“I’m feeling good,” Mr Perrottet said.
“It’s going to be great, a lot of time I’ve missed so it’s going to be good to be home.”
Mr Perrottet departed his home in preparation for a morning run with retiring Pittwater MP Rob Stokes, whose former seat is at risk of being lost by the Liberals.
“I’m going to the office and going to run with Rob Stokes,” he said.
He didn’t give away any clues as to who may succeed him in the Liberal party after he stood down as their leader following his election loss.
“It’s a matter for the party, they’ll work it out.”
Much was made of Gladys Berejiklian’s glaring absence from Mr Perrottet’s campaign.
While those from within the Liberal camp, including former Premier Mike Baird, said the party had let their leading man down throughout the last few months.
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