Jodi McKay quits NSW Labor leadership after horror Hunter result
The NSW Labor leader has resigned from her position in a bid to end infighting. Chris Minns is the likely new leader.
NSW Labor is again divided and facing a bitter tussle to determine who will become its next leader, with two leading contenders attempting to garner the support of colleagues following the resignation of Jodi McKay.
Ending a week of party infighting, a tearful Ms McKay fronted a bank of news cameras in NSW parliament during the afternoon, saying she had agreed to walk away from the party’s leadership and citing instability and persistent undermining in the wake of a crucial by-election loss.
Labor saw a significant slide in its primary vote in the Upper Hunter ballot held last Saturday.
That result has prompted soul-searching within the ALP at both state and federal levels about its messaging to voters and paradoxical positioning on coalmining and climate change.
Ms McKay’s detractors used the disappointing by-election result to claim the party needed an overhaul of leadership; since Sunday, they have been applying pressure to Ms McKay’s position and moving to force her resignation.
On Friday, these efforts appeared to reach their conclusion, with Ms McKay offering her resignation with a “heavy heart” knowing she retained the support of both her colleagues and rank-and-file members of the party.
“No one has asked me to stand aside — in fact, colleagues have asked me to stay,” Ms McKay told reporters. “If a ballot were held today, I can tell you I would win it.”
Earlier in the week, Ms McKay remained defiant in the face of calls for her departure, insisting she would stay despite the efforts of her opponents. On Friday, she appeared to capitulate to these demands, saying she would step aside to allow a healing process to begin within the party.
“I apologise to those who wished I had stayed, but this is the only way I know I can unite our party,” she said, tearfully singling out the infighting as a cause of her demise, which would continue to remain a blight on the party until it was addressed.
“There has to be a future where there is no destabilising of the party’s leader from within,” she said.
“While the leadership of the Labor Party may move to a ballot, there must be an acknowledgment that at the end of the process, when the new leader is determined, we unite as a party.”
She said she would remain in parliament but would take leave to spend time with her partner on their farm in the town of Gloucester, about three hours north of Sydney.
Her detractors said Ms McKay’s inability to form a shadow cabinet had led to her arriving at a conclusion that her position was untenable. A well-placed official said this was false: Ms McKay had formed a shadow cabinet
Ms McKay’s deputy leader, Yasmin Catley, immediately resigned from her position, as did others on the Labor frontbench.
Today I stood down as leader of the Labor Party in NSW. I do this with a very heavy heart. No one asked me to stand aside. When the new leader is determined, we must all accept the outcome, support them and work to win Government in 2023 because NSW deserves no less. #nswpol
— Jodi McKay (@JodiMcKayMP) May 28, 2021
Labor’s leader in the Upper House, Adam Searle, is acting in the role of party leader ahead of a decision surrounding who will assume the role permanently.
The contest is likely to fall to either Kogarah MP Chris Minns, who has the support of some caucus members, although he faces a threat from Maroubra MP Michael Daley, a former party leader who is expected to be favoured by Ms McKay’s supporters.
Neither has formally nominated for the role, but both were known to be calling colleagues on Friday to shore up support and prevent the need for ballot.
Labor MPs voiced their appreciation for Ms McKay and Ms Catley after their resignations, although some expressed blunt disappointment with colleagues who had led efforts to undermine Ms McKay’s leadership.
“Jodi was the first NSW party leader, of any political party, to ever be elected by a popular vote of the membership,” said Labor MP Trish Doyle.
“Sadly, egos who’d rather trash good leadership than not be in power do not care what gets broken along the way.”
Ms McKay won a leadership contest against Mr Minns in 2019, securing 29 votes to his 21 votes.
Some supporters of Mr Minns claimed that Ms McKay had lost the faith of her caucus, which is why she needed to vacate her position.
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