‘I won’t be here’: NSW premier reveals his leadership timeline

NSW Premier Chris Minns has for the first time indicated when he intends to call time on his political career, revealing he will not be in parliament when Metro West opens in 2032.

Asked at a media conference for his “dream for how this city looks” in 2032 when the metro opens, Minns revealed that he would not be premier in 2032 and that he would be a member of the public. There will be an election in 2031.

“Well, I won’t be here, at least in this role, but look, as a citizen, I hope, I genuinely hope, that we can make a massive impact in housing affordability for young people,” Minns said.

“The best way that the NSW government can do that is to put well-designed, brand-new apartments close to public transport lines.

“If we can get some density closer to the city, and we can legitimately say to the next generation of young Australians, now there’s a place for you in this expensive city. It’s not just for millionaires and billionaires.”

Pressed on his comments about his premiership timeline, Minns said: “I don’t know what the future holds. I might get beat in 2027.”

Minns will face his second election as Labor leader on March 13 next year. He led Labor to minority government in 2023 after it floundered in opposition for 12 years.

His popularity soared after the government’s response to the Bondi terror attacks and his likeability reached levels in January not seen since his post-election honeymoon.

Since the last Resolve survey in November, Minns’ net likeability in January had risen to plus 25, an increase of 11. The Kogarah MP also had a commanding lead as preferred premier: 40 per cent of the 1145 respondents polled back him as leader.

Several senior Labor sources have recently said that Minns is exhausted after a gruelling end to 2025, when he was dealing with the aftermath of the Bondi massacre, in which 15 people were shot dead and dozens were injured, including two police officers.

One source, who requested anonymity to speak freely, said they would expect Minns to stand down early into the next term of parliament.

Education Minister and Deputy Premier Prue Car is seen as the most likely replacement to Minns. Car recently returned to work after treatment for breast cancer.

While popular with many voters, Minns is likely to face a fiery NSW Labor conference in July. Some unions and branch members are furious about his approach to protest laws passed in the wake of the Bondi attacks.

Four Labor MPs have publicly called for an independent review into police actions at last month’s anti-Isaac Herzog rally in the CBD, and at least 10 Labor Party branches have passed resolutions criticising the government’s approach to protest laws.

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