Two of the nation's most high-profile federal politicians will call it quits at the next election, with Health Minister Greg Hunt set to join former attorney-general Christian Porter in announcing his retirement.
Key points:
- Christian Porter says he will not re-contest his WA seat of Pearce at next year's federal election
- Health Minister Greg Hunt will also announce his intention to quit tomorrow
- Mr Porter says he has experienced the "harshness" of politics, but has no regrets
Mr Porter, who moved to the backbench in September, announced his resignation on Facebook on Wednesday, saying he was quitting to spend more time with his family.
The ABC has also confirmed that Mr Hunt will on Thursday announce his plan to retire at the next election.
Mr Hunt has held one of the government's most important roles as the nation contends with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speculation has been mounting in recent months about Mr Hunt's political future but he's repeatedly said he would recontest the next election.
Mr Porter has been expected to quit politics after a year in which he fell from one of the highest positions of power in parliament to the backbench.
"After a long time giving everything I could to the people of Pearce it’s now time to give more of what is left to those around me whose love has been unconditional," Mr Porter wrote.
"There are few, if any, constants left in modern politics. Perhaps the only certainty now is that there appears to be no limit to what some will say or allege or do to gain an advantage over a perceived enemy.
"This makes the harshness that can accompany the privilege of representing people, harder than ever before. But even though I have experienced perhaps more of the harshness of modern politics than most, there are no regrets."
Mr Porter was elected as the Member for Pearce in Perth's north in 2013, and quickly rose through the ranks to become attorney-general under former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and then under Scott Morrison.
He was openly mentioned in conversations in the corridors of parliament as a potential future prime minister.
But the West Australian MP became embroiled in controversy earlier this year after the ABC reported an unnamed cabinet minister had been accused of raping a woman in 1988, in a letter sent to Mr Morrison.
Mr Porter identified himself as the unnamed cabinet minister, and strenuously denied the allegation in a tearful press conference.
The then-attorney general stepped aside from his portfolio while he pursued defamation action against the ABC, which he ultimately discontinued.
Mr Porter faced pressure to quit his cabinet position while the lawsuit was ongoing but refused to do so.
Arguing Mr Porter could not be the attorney-general at the same time as he was in the courts suing the ABC, Mr Morrison appointed him as industry, science and technology minister in a frontbench reshuffle in March.
But in September, Mr Porter was again under pressure to quit the ministry, after he declared he had accepted funds from anonymous donors to cover some of the legal fees in his defamation action against the ABC.
The declaration sparked an inquiry into the broader rules around donations to politicians.
After Mr Morrison said his minister had been "unable to conclusively rule out a perceived conflict of interest", Mr Porter quit the frontbench, saying he would not pressure the donors to reveal their identities.
At the time, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said Mr Porter had "a bad day at the wicket", but that he was a capable politician who someday should be allowed another chance in a senior role.
Mr Porter had vowed to fight on and contest the next election and had already been pre-selected as the Liberal candidate for Pearce.
But on Wednesday he confirmed his political career was over, and that he would not seek to return to parliament.
Mr Porter was the Western Australian state treasurer before entering federal politics in 2013.
As a federal minister, he also served as the social services minister, industrial relations minister and the leader of the house.
He was a senior prosecutor and university law lecturer before entering politics.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiUmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIxLTEyLTAxL2NocmlzdGlhbi1wb3J0ZXItdG8tcXVpdC1wb2xpdGljcy8xMDA2MjI5MjjSAShodHRwczovL2FtcC5hYmMubmV0LmF1L2FydGljbGUvMTAwNjIyOTI4?oc=5
2021-12-01 13:11:20Z
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