Chris Minns on the night that made him give up alcohol

NSW Premier Chris Minns has spoken about the support he receives from wife Anna and their Saturday morning ritual.

Chris Minns is coming up to two years since giving up alcohol.

He hasn’t touched a drop since being NSW Opposition leader, months before being elected Premier March, 2023.

“You can get a phone call any time of the night or day from a police, fire brigade or prison commissioner,” he says: “You don’t want to be half cut.

“You’ve got to be part of the solutions to fix whatever they are ringing about.”

We meet at St George Motor Boat Club in the Marina’s Edge Restaurant. The Premier orders a 250g Riverina top cut sirloin, cooked medium with mushroom sauce.

I go for the 300g Pinnacle scotch fillet, medium rare, with hot English mustard.

Chris Minns and Phil Rothfield sip water at the Marina’s Edge Restaurant. Picture: Richard Dobson

In the old days, Minns would have had a pre-dinner beer and washed his steak down with a glass of red.

However, it’s been almost two years since he gave up alcohol. We sip on water.

“Giving up the grog was a massive change to my quality of life,” he says.

“I should have done it years earlier.”

In the 24/7 life of being Premier, he has no regrets and knows it was the right call.

“You know things can go wrong at night,” he says.

“If you’re half cut, how are you supposed to make good decisions and digest all the information?”

Minns and his family at a cafe in Kogarah after winning the election last year. Picture: Gaye Gerard

The turning point

Minns traces the decision back to a night out for a mate’s birthday at the Intersection Tavern at Ramsgate, not far from where we’re eating.

“I didn’t do anything off the wall,” he says, “It was a fun night but I had a full day starting the next morning and I felt hungover and terrible. I probably lost count of how many drinks I’d had.

“I’d wake up not at my best. Not excited about the day.

“I thought I want to throw everything at this job (Opposition leader) and, without sounding corny, be the best version of myself. You only get one shot at life, so I made the call.

“Originally, I thought ‘I’ll ditch it for a month’. After three months I felt a million bucks and after six months I felt ‘I’ll never go back’.

“I don’t regret my drinking years. I’ve had some great times and a lot of fun but right now in my life I can’t do it and I won’t go back to it.”

It was a night at The Intersection Tavern in Ramsgate which changed Minns’ relationship with alcohol. Picture: Jonathan Ng

I interject and suggest, surely, if his beloved Canterbury Bulldogs can win their next NRL premiership, he’ll celebrate with a beer.

“No I won’t,” he says. “I’ll get a tattoo on my leg like your Sharks one (laughs).

“I can happily go to the pub with friends and not be tempted. You just change your habits a bit. Now I’ll go for a surf, a walk or watch a footy game.”

The Premier looks in great physical shape.

He’s 44, trains every day and has dropped four kilos since taking office.

“I’ll get up at 5am every day and start by reading the papers,” he says, “Then I’ll go to the 24-hour gym around the corner from my place, even if it’s only for 20 minutes.”

It’s for his mental health as much as his physical condition.

“If I don’t do it I can feel terrible – maybe it is stress,” he says, as the conversation turns to mental health and that politicians are not immune to it.

How Scott Morrison recently revealed he was treated for mental health and anxiety while prime minister.

Minns and wife Anna at North Cronulla beach. Picture: John Feder

Minns says he would do exactly the same thing.

“I don’t think you’d be human not to think sometimes your life or job is too overwhelming,” he says. “I wouldn’t hesitate to reach out and get professional help if I needed it.

“Fortunately, I have Anna (wife) to lean on a lot.”

They walk every Saturday morning along the Cronulla esplanade, like any couple discussing the highs and lows of their weeks,their work and their family.

“We do it rain, hail or shine,” Minns said, “It’s like a debrief.

“I’m very close to my kids and my wife and I are a team. We share a lot and rely on each other. We’ve known each other since we were kids. I met Anna when I was 20.”

Pain and heartache

It has been a tough, sometimes heartbreaking period since Minns was elected Premier.

He has had much to deal with. On a personal level, the unexpected death of his father John from a heart attack at the beginning of last month.

“He was a mate as much as a dad, we were very close,” Minns says.

“He liked a beer and a punt.

“We wanted Dad’s life to be longer but he packed everything into it. He got to grow old and see his kids grow up.

“As Mum said, it’s very sad but it is not a tragedy compared to what others have suffered.

“Grief is very personal but the job puts it into perspective for me.”

Minns as a young man with his parents Cara and John Minns.

Minns is referring to the horrible, more painful stories – the Hunter bus crash, the murders of Luke Davies and Jesse Baird,Molly Ticehurst, so tragically killed in Forbes, and the horror of the Bondi Westfield knife attack that claimed six innocent lives.

Also, in April, Minns had just touched down in Japan at Tokyo airport for a family holiday (his first since becoming Premier) as the Westfield massacre was unfolding.

Messages were lighting up his mobile phone.

As the plane taxied towards arrivals, Minns was on his mobile booking a flight straight back to Sydney. His family stayed on.

“It was important I go straight there,” he says. “You have to be on site.

“The toughest part of the job is talking to a mum or dad who has lost their kid.

“I try not to impose myself. A politician might be the last person they want to see. But you have to be there in case.”

Minns and his beloved dad. Picture: Supplied

Minns on a mission

Our conversation turns to the scourge that is domestic violence. “There are some terrible people out there who do shocking things without any warning,” he says.

“I can’t promise that the rate of domestic violence will drop to zero but if we can even save one life and reduce that rate … it’s so important.”

It’s why his government is investing so heavily in social housing, rather than building or refurbishing suburban NRL grounds or putting roofs on stadiums right now.

“We’ve made the biggest investment in the state’s history into social housing for domestic violence victims,” he says.

“There will be people who will now be able to get out of a very violent and dangerous household with their kids.

“We’re going to build this housing to accommodate 8000 over the next four years.

“A big number of victims go back. If you’ve got kids, what else do you do?

“The biggest increase in homelessness, people sleeping in their cars or on the street, is women.”

The conversation moves on.

His 462 days since being sworn in have some highlights too. Nothing more so, he says, than the better pay deals negotiated for police and teachers that have led to a surge in recruitment numbers.

Minns marching at the No More! rally against violence in Sydney. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Monique Harmer

“We’ve had a 44 per cent increase in applications to join the police force,” he said.

“We had some advice when we were in Opposition that you’d never be able to turn it around (the dwindling numbers). Well, we have.

“A lot of people wanted to be police and teachers but it was an occupation where it’s difficult to make ends meet.”

It’s been the same with teachers.

“We had more resignations than retirements (when we came into government),” he said “People quitting halfway through their careers. “We’ve started to turn that around too. We reached a key target of converting 16,000 temporary teaching and school-based support staff roles from temporary to permanent positions.

“If you can see at the end of month, you can pay your mortgage or rent, you’re going to stick with the profession.

“No one is going to be a police officer or teacher or prison officer to become rich. You do it because you care about the community.”

Regrets, I’ve had a few

The Premier has regrets and has made mistakes along the way, too.

“I made a bad call after the terrorist attack on Israeli citizens,” he said, “I made the decision to light up the Opera House with the Israel flag.

“We have a big Jewish community in Sydney and we wanted to show our solidarity.

“That night there was a major demonstration at the Opera House. Rather than be a place for the Jewish community to reflect on what had happened, it became a thuggish scene. I should have protected the communities. The buck stops with me. When you get it wrong you fess up and try and get it right next time.”

A pro-Palestine protest outside the Opera House on October 9. Picture: Jeremy Piper

Next topic (before a cup of tea) … social media. The Premier is not a fan. His office still runs an X account but he has removed all social media apps from his mobile phone.

“The last thing you need when you wake up in the morning is to see 30 people call you every name under the sun before you’ve even started the day,” he says.

“The people are going to be a lot ruder, vicious and vile on a keyboard than they are in real life. I’d highly recommend people jump off it and don’t read the comments. I’ve swiped all my apps. Twitter, Facebook,Instagram, everything.”

He uses an NRL player example to make his point.

“I remember talking to St George legend (former chairman) Craig Young about it,” he says. “One of their stars was really struggling with his form. He was on his phone constantly, looking at all the negative comments on social media. It affected the way he played. He got off social media and his form turned around. I’ve applied the same thing. You don’t need it.”

As for his longevity in the job, Minns knows this is hardly a lifetime gig. Gladys Berejiklian, Mike Baird and Barry O’Farrell are all long gone from politics.

I ask the Premier how long he wants to keep going.

Minns and Premier of South Australia Peter Malinauskas go for a run at Bondi Beach. Picture: Damian Shaw

“Well, it might not be up to me,” he says, “The voters will tell you what the story is.

“In the back of my mind I’m conscious about it. A lot of the things we want to do will take longer than three years or a full term. If my party will have me I’ll definitely run again at the next election.

“You go back to the electorate and say ‘What do you think? What’s the verdict? Do you want us back?’

“I don’t want to presume anything. I’ve only been there just over a year.”

Accor Stadium

And finally … we get to stadiums. The Premier still won’t commit to a roof over Accor Stadium. Not when it’s going to cost $400 million. But he gives the impression it will eventually happen.

“The state is in a lot of debt and we have to get on top of finances which we’re attempting to do,” he says. “I appreciate the stadium roof would give some certainty to promoters for major events that need an indoor venue.

“I’m not ruling it out. I just can’t do it now.”

Originally published as Chris Minns on the night that made him give up alcohol