’Handful’: Wannabe premier’s major issue

Tasked with ending the Coalition’s 12-year streak in government and leading the Labor party to victory, one of Chris Minn’s greatest hurdles to becoming the next premier of NSW could come from his very own electorate of Kogarah.

The southern Sydney seat balances on a margin of 0.1 per cent, down from 5 per cent after a redistribution of electoral boundaries in 2021.

During the 2019 election, the Liberal candidate Scott Yeung narrowly trailed Mr Minns who won just 69 more primary votes than Mr Yeung.

Mr Minns told NCA NewsWire he would not be interested in being transferred to a safer seat – even if it meant the difference between being the state’s next premier and being unemployed.

He said he would rather “not be in parliament than not be the member for Kogarah” admitting himself his future lies in the hands of what is likely to come down to a “handful” of voters.

On Kogarah’s main drag, just minutes from Mr Minns’ local outpost, small business owners are concerned. Still recovering from the aftershock of the pandemic, the rising cost of living is top of mind for locals.

Iliana Koleva has lived in the suburb for the past 20 years. Just before the pandemic, she ditched her corporate city job and her daily commute to open health food cafe, The Nutrition Hub.

“I created this to be like a happy place for my retirement. It didn’t turn out to be what I expected because of the events of the last three years,” she said.

“The bills are going through the roof. We buy fresh produce and everything is going up, so we had to put the prices up.

“It’s hard to maintain that level of profitability. I can’t even say the word. The bills and the cost of additional costs is eating out any kind of profit that can be made.”

A few stores down, Cameron Ly, who runs the fish and chip shop FishoHolics, says the cost of fries had increased from $30 for 5kg to $45 in the past 18 months.

“As a business owner, you’ve got to manage that. If prices go up, you’ve got to put prices up and some customers aren’t going to be happy. They’ve got to watch what they spend,” he said.

Bar a stint in the US while completing a master’s degree at the prestigious Princeton University, Mr Minns admits he’s “only ever known St George”.

While global pressures of inflation are largely out of Mr Minns’ control, easing cost of living pressures are a big priority for both major parties.

Some of Labor’s key measures include toll reform, increased protection for renters and a “sensible” approach to managing NSW’s budget, even if that means cutting infrastructure projects promised by the government.

When asked about his local electorate, his passion for his local community is evident. He describes Kogarah as “Sydney’s best kept secret”.

“It’s 25 minutes to the city. It’s on major public transport lines. It’s got great restaurants and it’s equal distance from Cronulla beach and great jobs in the city,” he says.

“I think a lot of the issues that affect Kogarah are replicated elsewhere in the state – tolls, education and health outcomes.”

His community ties have struck a chord with some.

“He’s active in the community. He’ll have our best interests at heart because he’s local,” says Ms Koleva.

“He’s approachable, he’s a family man. I’ve seen him walking around with his wife.”

The owner of Momento Cafe & Kitchen, Matt Nankali, counts Mr Minns’ staff, family and sometimes the Labor leader himself among his customers.

The first word he uses to describe the Labor leader is “regular”. He later clarifies he was referring to Mr Minns’ coffee order: “A cappuccino. Normal milk. Always small.”

Mr Nankali thinks Mr Minns’ and Labor’s lengthy stint in opposition will play to their advantage.

“When you play soccer, you have people who are watching the game. Then at halftime, they give their advice to the coach,” he said.

“You can see better when you aren’t involved in the field.”

Naturally, not everyone has the same view.

Retiree Anna Wong has lived in the suburb of Kogarah for 40 years.

“I haven’t made a decision yet but with inflation I think you need an experienced government,” she said.

“I’ve got a pension from my super but I worry about my children because the interest is just going up, up, up.”

With election day less than three weeks away, Mr Minns will be running against Craig Chung for the Liberal Party, Tracy Yuen for the Greens and independent candidate Troy Stolz.

Mr Stolz, a staunch gambling reform advocate, has been particularly critical of Labor’s poker machine policy. Instead of the government’s pledge to make all poker machines cashless by 2028, Labor has promised a trial of 500 cashless machines.

Speaking to 2GB this week, Mr Stolz said the trial was code for “kicking it into the long grass”.

“We don’t need any trials, we need to get with this reform and move forward,” Mr Stolz told host Ben Graham.

“The minimum Chris Minns could do (is) bipartisan support.

“He’s kicking and screaming and being dragged and he’s not coming up, he’s falling short.”

With a four-way contest only to get more heated coming up to the election, Mr Minns is aware of the predicament he’s in.

“Kogarah has had Labor representation since the 50s, but in various elections we’ve only hung on by a handful of votes. It’s at its closest now, after the redistribution,” he says.

“I take it very seriously but we can’t win government without winning Kogarah and I think I’m the best candidate for it.”

We’ll find out whether he’s right come March 25.