‘Needs to be resolved quickly’: NSW MPs resist leadership ballot

NSW Labor MPs want the stalemate over the party’s leadership resolved this week in order to avoid a membership ballot as Kogarah MP Chris Minns became the second candidate in the race for the job.

A full rank-and-file ballot will be necessary if the deadlock between Mr Minns and former leader Michael Daley is not sorted out this week, which would require one candidate to withdraw.

NSW Labor MP Chris Minns says he would bring generational change if elected leader of the party.Credit: James Alcock

Mr Minns, who has contested the leadership twice before, confirmed on Monday he would nominate, insisting he was the best person to bring generational change to the party.

Mr Daley, who led Labor to the 2019 state election, announced his nomination on Sunday, arguing he would be the only MP capable of healing the party in the wake of recent turbulent times.

NSW Labor was plunged into chaos last week after former leader Jodi McKay resigned on Friday in the wake of a poor showing in the Upper Hunter byelection.

Federal Labor MPs in marginal seats, including Michelle Rowland in Greenway, fear a ballot would be damaging to the party’s election chances in a looming federal election, while many state MPs want the leadership vacuum resolved before NSW Parliament resumes next week.

Labor’s health spokesman Ryan Park, who was asked by the party’s head office not to contest the leadership in the interests of unity, said there was no appetite for a drawn-out process.

“The leadership needs to be resolved as quickly as possible so we get back on with the job the community expects us to do,” he said.

“Whilst I accept the rules that if there is more than one candidate there needs to be a ballot, that will provide very challenging at this time.”

Several NSW MPs, including some who support Mr Minns and others Mr Daley, said it was becoming increasingly clear Labor’s head office would need to intervene to end the standoff.

One MP, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said: “There might be one or two people in the caucus who really think a ballot at the moment is a good idea, and that’s only because it is in their interests. We support ballots, but not when it is going to hurt the feds [federal Labor] or us”.

Another MP, who also spoke anonymously citing party rules, said: “I think a quick resolution to this would be a good resolution. We have the budget coming up. I think that will really sharpen people’s mind as the week goes on.”

Some Labor MPs on Monday said party branch members at the weekend had expressed anger at the context in which Ms McKay resigned and the prospect of another rank and file ballot.

However, not all MPs want to see a ballot avoided.

One, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they had been contacted by multiple branch members angry that head office and “certain MPs” had failed to respect and endorse Ms McKay, who members had voted for two years ago.

“They are angry. I think there are people trying to prevent a rank and file vote because they know if it goes to that, Minns will get smashed. They are afraid of that.”

Another MP said: “There are a lot of considerations here as to whether or not we go through the ballot process and I hope both candidates are giving serious consideration to all those issues.”

Mr Daley’s nomination was dealt a blow on Monday, after a group of Asian Australians released a signed statement warning a return to the Maroubra MP as party leader would damage relations with multicultural communities.

The statement refers to comments Mr Daley made before the 2019 state poll, which emerged just days out from election day, where he spoke about Asians with PhDs taking “our kids’ jobs”.

In his pitch, Mr Minns said Labor needed to “turn a page” and conceded he had disagreed with the direction of the party of the past two years.

However, he insisted he did not push for Ms McKay to resign or canvass support for the job until there was a leadership vacancy.

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