NSW Labor Leader Chris Minns schmoozed business leaders, unionists, lobbyists and people from non-profits at a lunch hosted by consultancy firm KPMG on Tuesday.
The lunch, billed as an “exclusive event” and a “rare opportunity to understand Labor’s priorities”, was held on the 38th floor of a Sydney skyscraper, where KPMG occupies the top 15 storeys.
The suited-up invitees included representatives from tech firms such as TikTok and Airbnb, grocery giants Woolworths and Coles, and Star and Crown casinos. The insurance, planning, health, and finance industries were also represented.
Seated next to Minns was former federal Labor minister Craig Emerson and KPMG’s state chairman Doug Ferguson.
Labor’s Treasury spokesman Daniel Mookhey — who has been scathing about some of KPMG’s work for the current NSW government — was seated between representatives from the consultancy and the Australian National University.
Emerson chairs the McKell Institute think tank, which organised the event, and treated the room to an anecdote about playing “touch football with Joe Hockey” before introducing Minns, who was seen making last-minute changes to his speech notes.
Once he stepped up to the podium, Minns spent some time talking about the energy market, warning a new paper by the Australian Energy Market Operator showed that demand for energy could soon outstrip supply.
“It’s sobering reading … and one of the leading reasons why we decided to create the NSW energy security corporation, which will be a state-owned body seeded with $1 billion that will accelerate investment in renewable energy assets,” he said.
The Kogarah MP also spoke about Labor priorities such as bringing back domestic manufacturing and bettering educational outcomes and conditions for teachers.
“There are many things on the table — energy, education, domestic manufacturing, and of course health — which we haven’t touched on this morning,” Minns said.
And what was everyone eating?
Guests were offered a main of roasted grouper fillet with peperonata, grilled polenta and olive crumbs, with a dessert of plum tart tartin with toasted barley ice cream.
Those who didn’t mind a glass of wine with lunch were able to choose between a 2015 Alexander Munro semillon, which retails at $50 a bottle, and a Thomas Synergy Shiraz, which costs $25 a bottle. Both are from NSW’s Hunter Valley.
