Chris Minns delivered in the state’s hour of need. The prime minister could take some pointers

Despite both being creatures of NSW Labor, albeit from opposing factions and different generations, Premier Chris Minns and Anthony Albanese have contrasting approaches to politics.

The prime minister thinks in long-term strategy, Minns is fixated on winning each day.

Both are partially born out of environment. Both have their pros and cons.

But the killing of 15 people on Bondi Beach on December 14 called for a particular response. Only Minns got it right.

Within 10 days of the worst terror attack in Australia’s history, Minns established a now-redundant state royal commission, recalled MPs to parliament during the week of Christmas and jammed an omnibus bill through both houses.

An MP says the premier’s instinct is to throw himself head-first into a crisis.

Moreover, Minns, one of the nation’s best political communicators, immediately found the right tone, offering displays of emotion and the appropriate body language.

“Chris is temperamentally well suited to these moments,” says a senior Labor MP, speaking on the condition of anonymity to detail party matters.

Minns’ approach hasn’t always worked for him. MPs cite several examples where the premier’s preoccupation with the short term has had long-term repercussions. One is protest laws being rushed through parliament last February that were ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

Where “Anthony struggled to find the right words”, a Labor source says, Minns found the response the crisis demanded, one of decisiveness and moral clarity. His approach has been roundly backed by voters.

Nearly half of the respondents in the latest Resolve poll believed the NSW government’s approach to the Bondi terror attack had been strong; 46 per cent found Albanese’s approach weak.

“In contrast to the prime minister, voters clearly value the quick and unequivocal response from Chris Minns, and support almost everything he has done,” said Resolve director Jim Reed.

Around two-thirds of voters backed tightening gun laws and a temporary ban on protests, both part of the government’s legislative package.

Moreover, Minns’ popularity has surged since the worst terror attack in the nation’s history. His net likeability is up 11 points, while his preferred premier rating sits at 40 per cent – a commanding 22 percentage point lead over nascent opposition leader Kellie Sloane.

It’s his highest net likeability rating since he enjoyed a post-election honeymoon in May 2023.

The prime minister copped weeks of negative headlines as he resisted calling a federal royal commission. He was ultimately forced to after telling the public such an inquiry was unnecessary.

It has reflected a tendency of the federal Labor government to appear flat-footed during a crisis.

This time, Minns delivered in the state’s hour of need. The prime minister could heed some lessons.

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