Politics

MPs urged to reconsider retiring over fears exodus could harm election chances

Jan 28, 2019

Coalition MPs have been urged to reconsider retirement plans. Source: Getty.

Federal Coalition MPs considering retiring soon have been urged to reconsider their plans, over fears a mass exodus could harm the government’s chances of re-election.

Former Nationals leader and deputy prime minister John Anderson has pleaded with MPs to stick it out in an exclusive interview with The Australian, after three ministers have revealed in the last week alone that they plan to step down at the next poll.

“I deeply believe that members of the Coalition should consider very carefully what they should do, as well as what they would like to do,” Anderson told the news outlet.

He insisted that Labor plan to take the country “quite dramatically to the Left” and more resignations, on top of those from frontbenchers Nigel Scullion, Kelly O’Dwyer and Michael Keenan this week, could harm the government’s chances of warding Bill Shorten off.

Keenan announced he will quit politics at the next election on Friday. He currently serves as the member for Stirling in Perth.

The Human Services and Digital Transformation Minister issued a statement through Mathias Cormann, the Minister for Finance and the Public Service. He explained that spending time with family was one of the reasons he was set to depart.

Just hours later, Nationals senator Scullion became the second cabinet minister in the Morrison government to announce his retirement from parliament – on Australia Day.

“Today I announce that I will not be re-contesting the upcoming Federal Election,” he said in a statement shared on Facebook. “It has been the greatest honour of my life to serve the people of the Northern Territory for the last 17 years in the Australian Senate.

“I thank all Territorians for their support over this time. I have been proud to be a member of the Country Liberal Party – the only party that truly represents the real Territory.”

Both of those shock resignations came days after Dwyer said in a statement, seen by the Herald Sun: “After much agonising and with a heavy heart, I am announcing that I will not re-contest the next election,.

“I no longer want to consistently miss seeing my children get up in the morning or go to bed at night and I want to know that when I am around my time with them is not constantly disrupted.”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Scott Morrison is reportedly preparing to ramp up campaigns across southeast Queensland to try to secure seven seats deemed to be at risk.