‘Untenable’: Minns resigns from NSW Labor’s frontbench

NSW Labor’s transport spokesman Chris Minns has quit the frontbench, describing his position in the opposition cabinet as “completely untenable”.

Speaking outside his home in Sydney’s south on Wednesday morning, Mr Minns said he has no plans to make a leadership challenge but will be talking to colleagues in the coming days.

“I’m here today to tell you I can’t serve in the shadow cabinet. I think that speaks for itself,” he said.

“I’ll be going to the backbench to fight for my community and fight for Labor.”

The Kogarah MP’s resignation, effective immediately, follows that of Treasury spokesman Walt Secord on Tuesday.

Mr Minns said he was “very disappointed” a dirt file on him was circulated to the media by a staffer in the office of Yasmin Catley, Labor’s deputy leader and a close ally of leader Jodi McKay. The staffer involved has since been sacked.

The member for Kogarah, Chris Minns at his home in Sans Souci on the morning he resigns from the NSW Labor frontbench. Credit: Kate Geraghty

“It gives me no pride, and I do it with a great deal of sadness, to resign as the shadow minister for transport,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve got any choice in the matter.”

Mr Minns said he did not want to cast aspersions on Ms McKay’s character, but expressed disappointment he had not been contacted by her about the dirt file.

“At the end of the day, if the dossier was about me and she’s the leader in the Labor Party, I would have thought she would make contact with me,” he said.

“I think we need to be more optimistic and more positive about politics ... not turn on each other, and certainly not attack each other in this sort of negative way.”

He said the Labor Party had hope in the 2023 state election if it presented a positive and optimistic vision. “But that’s going to require us coming together and taking the fight up to the government.”

In an earlier statement on Twitter, Mr Minns said: “In the last 24 hours I have not received any communication or explanation from the Leader [Ms McKay], or the Deputy Leader [Ms Catley].”

Mr Secord described the distribution of the file as “completely unacceptable” and “absolutely disgusting”.

Appearing on Sky on Wednesday morning, Ms McKay said she is “so sorry” Mr Minns has gone. She is not expecting any more resignations and confirmed a cabinet reshuffle is on the cards in the next two days.

“Obviously Chris leaving is a blow but I respect his decision,” she said.

She said Mr Minns is a decent, capable person with leadership ambitions but has repeatedly failed to claim the top job and “just doesn’t have” the numbers.

Ms McKay reiterated her previous comments, that no one had challenged her for the leadership.

“I waited 48 hours to see if someone had the support of our party members ... and that didn’t happen,” she said.

“I would never have guessed that this would all unfold the way it has after a byelection loss, that we were never supposed to win anyway.”

NSW Labor leader Jodi McKay says no one has challenged her in the wake of the “terrible” weekend byelection.Credit: Wolter Peeters

The Labor leader said she categorically did not know about the dossier and the staffer involved was sacked by Ms Catley on Tuesday night.

“He stepped aside, he’s done the right thing, he’s admitted he did the wrong thing, and he’s gone,” she said, adding that she had intended to speak to Mr Minns on Wednesday morning.

Ms Catley has maintained she was “blindsided” by the document prepared by the staffer in her office.

She said she asked the staffer to resign shortly after the press conference on Tuesday afternoon.

Deputy Labor leader Yasmin Catley (right) sacked the staffer involved shortly after Tuesday’s press conference. Credit: Wolter Peeters

“I was out there talking about unity. I would hardly do that if I had known. I still haven’t seen the document, I did not know,” Ms Catley said on Wednesday.

“I do not condone that type of behaviour and I’ve responded accordingly and explained to him that his tenure in my office was untenable.”

She said it was a very hard decision because she was a “deeply loyal” person.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she was struggling to keep up with infighting in the Opposition, stressing the importance of ensuring her government was not distracted.

“I think people expect everybody who is elected to parliament to focus on the community and when you don’t, people notice,” she said.

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