Chris Minns admits NSW Labor needs to ‘climb Everest’ to stay in power as protesters interrupt state conference

Premier Chris Minns is congratulated after delivering a speech during the the 2026 NSW Labor state conference in Sydney on Saturday. Photograph: Sitthixay Ditthavong/AAP View image in fullscreen Premier Chris Minns is congratulated after delivering a speech during the the 2026 NSW Labor state conference in Sydney on Saturday. Photograph: Sitthixay Ditthavong/AAP Chris Minns admits NSW Labor needs to ‘climb Everest’ to stay in power as protesters interrupt state conference The New South Wales premier warns of One Nation threat as he addresses party conference Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, admits the Labor party needs to “climb Everest” to stay in power amid rising threats posed by One Nation. But Minns, who received a standing ovation as he circled Sydney’s town hall before addressing the NSW Labor conference on Saturday, did not avoid the protests over conflict in Gaza which have marked party conferences in previous years. As the premier made his way to the stage, two men unfurled a Palestinian flag from the balcony above. They were quickly removed by NSW police. Minns, taking to the podium, told delegates: “I’m not here to do a victory lap”. “The economy is nowhere near where we need it to be for working families, so today I want to speak about the next chapter in our plan to invest in workers, to grow the economy and to build the kind of industry that makes NSW strong.” Minns used his speech to announce plans to extend the state’s apprenticeship program and bring train manufacturing back to the Hunter region. The government has identified potential sites for a state-owned, privately operated facility, in Teralba or Broadmeadow. Labor says the $12bn commitment over 15 years project will provide 780 jobs in site construction and 550 in manufacturing. The announcement was met with cheers and applause inside the chamber. Outside, protesters including members of Labor Friends of Palestine were kept well away from the conference itself by security fencing and lines of police officers on the site of a now-infamous protest against Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, in February. Fifty-six Labor branches have passed motions to the conference calling for controversial anti-protest laws to be repealed or reviewed, backed by the entire left faction. Labor members are concerned that they will not be afforded the opportunity to debate the protest laws, gambling reform, and the Aukus nuclear agreement after the social justice and global affairs platforms were placed second last and last on the weekend’s agenda. In his speech, the premier acknowledged “the protest group out the front of the town hall today”. “They are not the first to try and disrupt our democratic conference and they probably won’t be the last - we’ve seen it all before.” But a potential fight over the eight-person upper house Labor ticket at next year’s election was resolved ahead of time, avoiding a conference-wide ballot