Labor’s Historic Victory: Chris Minns NSW Premier

Chris Minns is the new Premier of New South Wales, Australia. The premier was elected and sworn in, succeeding Dominic Perrottet in one of the Labor Party’s most triumphant moments. Minns’ victory marked the first time in nearly thirty years that a Labor leader had defeated the opposition. The victory gives the Labor Party control of all states and mainland territories, making the Coalition the opposition party in all mainland Australian legislatures.

Former Premier Dominic Perrottet took over as Premier at the end of 2021 after Gladys Berejiklian resigned. He aimed to revitalize the government and was recognized for his efforts to reform the state’s poker machines. Taking over a 12-year Liberal government plagued by scandals and significant departures of prominent figures, however, proved too much for Perrottet, resulting in his recent loss to the newly elected Labor leader. Dominic Perrottet made a gracious concession speech, congratulating Minns on his appointment as his successor.

Casino Reforms Proposed by Perrottet

The gambling industry is one of the most affected sectors due to the leadership changes. Former Premier Dominic Perrottet has been a vocal supporter of gambling reform and has clashed with opponents of the proposed changes.  Perrottet’s gaming reforms aimed to ensure that all poker machines in NSW would be cashless by the end of 2028. However, his stance on a cashless card for poker machines drew some criticism. 

Perrottet’s support for a cashless system aimed at reducing the problem of gambling and money laundering. However, the former president was chastised for doing the same during his tenure.  In one of his speeches, he acknowledged the political campaigns launched against reform supporters by the influential ClubsNSW lobby. He expressed his resolve in the intended outcomes and stated that he would not deviate from the plan.

Following the publication of a recent report by the NSW Crime Commission that exposed the existence of billions of dollars in “dirty” money being laundered through the state’s poker machines each year, Mr. Perrottet stated that gambling reform was an urgent necessity to address the significant problems that the industry has caused in society. The Liberal leader left office before ensuring the gambling reforms were implemented satisfactorily within the estimated time frame. According to truebluecasinos.org, it is unclear what will happen to Perrottet’s gambling reforms under the new leadership.

Labor Party’s Gambling Reforms

The Labor Party takes power at a time when gambling reform is a hot topic of conversation in New South Wales. As more crossbench lawmakers have emphasized the significance of this issue in their support of a minority government, the Labor Party will come under increasing pressure to pursue more comprehensive gambling reform measures beyond a simple trial of the cashless gaming card. The party has been working to increase the number of seats available for majority-driven leadership. The crossbench is expected to collaborate and work together, and Labor is expected to consider their legislative aspirations rather than simply engaging in small-scale bargaining.

New South Wales Labor has its own set of gambling reforms in the works. Among the most important are expanding the restrictions on political donations to include the club sector and reducing the number of poker machines in the state. The new set of changes includes a larger cashless gaming trial with 500 machines. Additionally, there will be restrictions on the display of “VIP lounge” branding on the exteriors of pubs and clubs, as well as lower cash input limits on new poker machines.

Political parties will be barred from receiving financial donations from clubs that operate gaming machines under the reforms. The party also wants to lower the cash feed-in limit for all new poker machines to $500, down from the current $5,000. The proposed reforms will reduce the number of machines in the state by lowering the entitlement cap to match the current number of machines. In addition, instead of every third machine, every second poker machine traded between locations will be surrendered.

Summary

Following over a decade of opposition, the New South Wales Labor Party has finally emerged victorious, marking the country’s sole Coalition-controlled government. However, with the need for a majority leadership to steer and implement various reforms, the new government faces several challenges. The gambling reforms by former Premier Dominic Perrottet are especially at risk with the proposed reforms from the Labor Party. It remains to be seen if the earlier reforms will be implemented by 2028. Nonetheless, the Labor Party now carries significant responsibility, which entails taking into account different perspectives from both political actors and business operators in NSW.