NSW Labor party in chaos as MP tipped to replace under-fire leader resigns over ‘disgusting’ leaked ‘dirt dossier’

NSW Labor’s transport spokesman Chris Minns has quit, saying his position on Jodi McKay’s frontbench has become ‘untenable’.

The Kogarah MP issued a statement on Twitter on Wednesday, a day after Treasury spokesman Walt Secord resigned saying he could no longer serve under Ms McKay.

Ms McKay’s camp was on Tuesday accused of distributing a ‘dirt file’ on Mr Minns – the man tipped to be her biggest leadership rival.

‘I’m obviously very disappointed by news reports yesterday that a dirt dossier was distributed by the deputy leader (Yasmin Catley) of the Labor Party’s office,’ Mr Minns said.

NSW Labor’s transport spokesman Chris Minns (pictured) has quit, saying his position on Jodi McKay’s frontbench has become ‘untenable

‘In the last 24 hours I have not received any communication or explanation from the leader as to how or why this was done,’ he said.

‘As a result my position in the shadow cabinet is untenable and I will resign effective immediately.’

Mr Minns is being touted as a potential leadership contender after losing to Ms McKay after the 2019 election.

The state opposition has descended into grubby infighting since its disastrous performance in last weekend’s Upper Hunter by-election.

Labor’s first preference vote plunged from 28 per cent to 22 per cent as the Nationals were returned with 32 per cent of primary votes, a small drop from 34 per cent in 2019 

Ms McKay is now battling for her political life, while some of her own MPs anonymously call for her resignation.

Her position has been under pressure for months, and the swing against Labor at Saturday’s vote has only heightened the leadership speculation.

Mr Minns is being touted as NSW Opposition Leader Jodi McKay (pictured) biggest leadership rival

The dossier circulated on Mr Minns prompted Mr Secord to be the first to quit the frontbench, just minutes after Ms McKay declared she had the support of the party to stay on as leader.

‘I can no longer serve in a Jodi McKay-led shadow ministry,’ the shadow treasurer said in a statement posted on Twitter.

Mr Secord said it was well known he had disagreed with Ms McKay on ‘policy, parliamentary and strategic decisions and directions’ over the past two years.

But he says the Minns dirt file – and the denials from Ms McKay and deputy leader Yasmin Catley that they knew about it – pushed him to the brink.

‘In short it was absolutely disgusting,’ he tweeted.

‘Everyone here knows I think Chris Minns would make a better Labor Leader,’ Mr Secord later told reporters.

But the path to leadership for Mr Minns is extremely difficult unless Ms McKay is persuaded to resign.

Since 2013, Labor Party rules require 60 per cent of caucus to vote to unseat an opposition leader as well as a vote by the party’s members.   

Treasury spokesman Walt Secord (pictured) resigned on Tuesday saying he could no longer serve under Ms McKay

Alongside Mr Minns, Labor MPs have named three other potential contenders for Ms McKay’s position: former leader Michael Daley, Wollongong MP Paul Scully and health spokesperson Ryan Park. 

Several Labor MPs said they believe Ms McKay would give up her position once the gravity of the party’s defeat sunk in.

After the loss, the NSW Labor Leader admitted the result was ‘terrible’ and said the party would need to undergo ‘soul-searching’.

‘There were an awful lot of people who didn’t vote for us and our message didn’t resonate with them,’ Ms McKay said on Sunday, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

‘We have some way to go to work out what we do here … there’s no challenge against me, I am the leader and we will work through what we need to do.

‘Many people are shell-shocked because even though it was an impossible task, we didn’t expect our vote would go to independents, we didn’t expect our vote to be torn away like it was.’