Chris Minns

In March 2016 a reshuffle of the shadow ministry following the resignation of Linda Burney resulted in Minns being appointed Shadow Minister for Water, replacing Mick Veitch.

Following Luke Foley's resignation as NSW Labor leader and leader of the NSW opposition, Minns nominated for the roles. On 10 November 2018 Minns lost the leadership spill to Michael Daley, 33 votes to 12.[9] After the 2019 state election Minns lost the leadership election to Jodi McKay on a combined caucus and party membership vote of 60.5% to 39.5%.[10] He was appointed to the portfolios of transport and corrections in the shadow cabinet.[11]

Following Labor's defeat at the Upper Hunter by-election in May 2021 and a possible leadership challenge to McKay, a file titled Why Chris Minns and Jamie Clements can never run the NSW Labor Party was circulated from the office of deputy Labor leader Yasmin Catley. Minns was disappointed with the lack of explanation or communication from McKay and Catley over the file circulation, and resigned from shadow cabinet on 26 May.[12] He was the second MP to resign from shadow cabinet in two days after shadow treasurer Walt Secord, a close supporter of Minns.[13] On 31 May 2021, after McKay resigned as party leader, Minns announced he would run for party leadership.[14] If Michael Daley and Minns had contested for party leadership, it would have been Minns’ third leadership contest and his second one versus Daley. Minns’ leadership bid was publicly supported by more than a dozen senior Labor MPs including Penny Sharpe, Ryan Park, Jihad Dib, and Prue Car.[15] On 4 June 2021, Michael Daley pulled out of the leadership contest, allowing Minns to be elected to the position of leader unopposed.[16]

In the 2023 NSW election campaign, Minns made election promises to invest further into public services.[17] He had been criticised for being reluctant to promise reform on money laundering in gambling,[18] however on 16 January Minns released a plan to reform gambling, which would ban donations from clubs (gambling organisations) to political parties and promises a cashless gaming card trial, which would last for 12 months and cover 500 of the approximately 86,480 (0.58%) pokies machines (slots).[19][20]

Minns led the Labor Party to victory at the 2023 New South Wales state election on 25 March, defeating the incumbent Liberal–National Coalition, returning Labor to power at the state level for the first time since 2011.[21] Despite winning the election, Labor did not win enough seats to govern in majority, but were able to form government with the support of three independents.[22]

The Health Services Union accused the Minns government of being too slow to remove the current 3 per cent limit on pay rises.[23]

Additionally, Minns called for a reduction in union influence in the Labor Party in favour of "increasing representation of ordinary members of our party who have more diverse voices", stating that while trade unions were integral to the success and heritage of the Labor Party, the party also needs to represent those who are not in a trade union, and that will mean taking steps to reduce union control on Labor's conference floor.[28]

Bob Nanva, national secretary of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, while acknowledging that Minns had been "an extraordinarily effective Assistant General Secretary of the ALP", rebuked him for being "seriously mistaken" on his views about unions.[29] Additionally, both Mark Buttigieg and NSW Labor Party secretary Jamie Clements disagreed with Minns' contention regarding unions.[30] By 2019, Minns reportedly no longer held those views, according to HSU NSW state secretary Gerard Hayes.[31]