New South Wales recently held an election for members of the state's Parliament. Half of the Legislative Council and the entirety of the Legislative Assembly were up for grabs. Official vote tallying is expected to go on for a while. But enough have been counted to confirm a victor.
Christopher Minns, leader of the New South Wales Branch of the Australian Labor Party, is the state's new premier. The well-known moderate was sworn in as premier on March 28, 2023. But the question remains as to how much power the Labor Party will wield.
Labor achieves narrow victory
The Australian Labor Party has prevailed in New South Wales. Defeating the incumbent Coalition Government of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Coalition had been in power since 2011. Dominic Perrottet had been the premier since 2021. With the election defeat, Perrottet resigned as leader of the New South Wales Division of the Liberal Party. He does, however, remain a member of the Legislative Assembly.
While Minns is already the premier and other Cabinet members are in place, the final seat total is still up in the air. Whether Labor command a majority or a minority government hangs in the balance. Either way, it appears that it would be by a slim margin.
A small majority or a plurality of seat in Parliament.
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, bipartisanship will likely be in order. The numbers being what they are, Labor almost certainly would need Coalition support on at least some legislation. While those three parties remain in the driver's seat, there's also other wrinkles.
The Guardian notes increased success for smaller parties and for Independents in the recent election. Adding other dynamics to the situation.
Among the issues in the campaign were policies regarding gambling and whether or not to privatize water services. As well as the debate on the use of nuclear power.
Minns is a former firefighter
Christopher Minns is a native of Paddington, New South Wales in the Sydney region. He received an early education at Marist College Kogarah in nearby Bexley. Afterward, he received a bachelor's degree from the University of New England in Armidale. Minns followed that by studying in the United States at Princeton University, where he earned a master's degree.
Before going into politics, Minns worked for a mental health charity for children and as a firefighter. In 2004, he was elected to the City Council of Kogarah. Three years later, he was elected as the city's deputy mayor. Minns was also a staffer for two New South Wales MPs, including Labor and Opposition Leader John Robertson.
In 2015, Minns was elected to the New South Wales Assembly from Kogarah. Along with holding a number of posts in the Shadow Cabinet, he was a party leadership candidate in 2018 and 2019. Minns was eventually named as the Labor leader in 2021. Effectively also making him the new leader of the Opposition.
