Kevin Rudd advisor Lachlan Harris and party elders were Minns’ secret weapons

Chris Minns’ close-knit election-winning team included a couple of secret weapons, including party elders — and a star staffer from the Kevin ’07 campaign.

It was a close-knit team that began working on an election-winning strategy from the day Chris Minns took over the party leadership in June 2021 – and included a well-known “volunteer”.

As the newly minted Premier delivered his victory speech, former Kevin Rudd adviser Lachlan Harris was revealed to be among the inner sanctum of those who helped in the campaign.

While not officially on staff, Mr Harris began offering his support to the longtime leadership hopeful in mid-2019 when the Kogarah MP was opposition transport spokesman.

Mr Harris — who has known Mr Minns for decades — was always a phone call away, and played a key role in preparing the Labor leader for the election debates.

Former Labor premier Morris Iemma — a mentor of Mr Minns —— and ex-Carr government minister Cherie Burton were part of the external brains trust.

Newly minter NSW Premier Chris Minns last week. Picture: Zack Solomon/Office of the NSW Premier

When Mr Minns took over the party leadership, Harris began hashing out a long-term election strategy with a team of experienced advisers in the leader’s office.

Those in the inner circle included federal Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen’s former adviser and strategist James Cullen, Sarah Michael also a former federal adviser who worked for both Bill Shorten and Tony Burke — and Ed Ovadia, a Sydney University Master of Economics graduate who fulfilled the role of policy adviser.

Former Kevin Rudd adviser Lachlan Harris.

Ex-NSW minister Cherie Burton.

Another member of the team — Ellyse Harding — planned Mr Minns’ seat visits, working closely with party officials in Sussex Street who relayed the latest research.

Sussex Street officials also spearheaded the advertising campaign, with another Minns team member — Zack Solomon — overseeing the digital media strategy.

Among the parliamentary team, new Education Minister Prue Car was instrumental in helping identify Western Sydney candidates, while a Labor source said former party official and Upper House MLC Courtney Houssos also provided ­strategic advice.

Mr Minns also relied heavily on a loyal inner circle of MPs, including now-Treasurer Daniel Mookhey, Roads Minister John Graham.

Winners are grinners: The first post-election Labor caucus meeting. Picture: Zack Solomon/Office of the NSW Premier.

A source close to the group said the focus for the election strategy was: Pick your issues and stick with them; make sure the media ask the right questions; and don’t get distracted.

Health and education were chosen as priorities. Both sectors were dealing with staff shortages, and crying out for higher wages.

Adding to the crises was a housing and rental shortage — which incidentally hit teachers and nurses hard.

Many lived in Liberal-held Sydney outer-ring seats such as Miranda, Heathcote, and Terrigal on the Central Coast — seats where Liberal primaries would be later crushed.

Minns and wife Anna celebrate the win last Saturday night.

Party elders Morris Iemma and Michael Daley.

When the Liberals raised cost of living, Labor made it a wages issue affecting teachers and nurses, or the high cost of tolls.

When the Coalition raised infrastructure, Labor would pivot to local manufacturing. According to the source, the Coalition should not have made infrastructure a key focus.

“They bet on infrastructure over people,” the source said.

“That worked for them for three elections, but I think it ran out of steam.

“We fought each other to a draw on cost of living — I think it was 50/50 — but we won on human capital.”

As for ensuring the media asked the right questions, digging out and circulating three-year-old departmental papers exploring the potential sale of Sydney Water was the perfect vehicle to generate the necessary questions to enable Labor to push its stance on privatisation.

“Most people you think have right answers, but we had to make sure the right questions were asked,” the source said.

Mr Minns is also close to former ALP general secretary Jamie Clements — who was at the Novotel Brighton-Le-Sands for the Labor victory party.

Other members of the team included Mr Bowen — who has known Mr Minns since when he was in Young Labor — and Damian Kassabgi, a former senior policy adviser to prime ministers Gillard and Rudd.

Got a news tip? Email [e-mail]