The premier made captain’s calls in crucial seats. He hasn’t saved this minister
A Labor minister may be forced to face a preselection ballot he would “lose to an empty chair” even as Chris Minns intervenes to select candidates in a string of electorates.
The MP, who has been involved in a series of high-profile missteps as fair trading minister, has seen control of his branches slip to the point that Labor sources not authorised to speak publicly have previously said he would “lose to an empty chair”.
In June, the Ingleburn-Macquarie Fields branch – the largest in the electorate – passed a motion to demand “a full rank-and-file preselection process”. They wanted to ensure branch members were “provided with a genuine democratic right, voice and meaningful participation in the preselection process”, the motion read.
Despite a long-standing convention against toppling sitting ministers, the party is increasingly reluctant to save Chanthivong by referring his nomination to Labor’s national executive. The party has done so in seats including Holsworthy, Winston Hills, East Hills, Prospect, Wallsend and Wyong.
As revealed on Wednesday, Minns has earned the ire of some senior branch members over a series of captain’s picks to install favoured candidates. In Winston Hills, Police Association secretary Pat Gooley was announced by Minns a day before nominations opened.
