Bill Shorten to retire from federal politics at next election
Amy Remeikis
Bill Shorten will retire from federal politics at the next election, it has been confirmed.
Labor sources said the former Labor leader had been speaking about leaving for some time. It was known to be happening before the next election, but the timing was not confirmed.
Anthony Albanese is expected to make the announcement at a press conference in the next 10 minutes.
Shorten is believed to be making the announcement now to give the party time to embed a new candidate in his Melbourne seat of Maribyrnong, which he has held since 2007.
More to come.
Key events
Albanese says there may be a gap between Shorten retiring and new member being elected
A reporter asked Bill Shorten whether there is someone he has in mind to replace in in the seat of Maribyrnong? He responded:
There are a lot of great locals in Maribyrnong who could replace me. One thing is for sure that I will be replaced. The national executive nomination close next week and I know of a couple of good candidates but I think today is about this and let’s see what emerges in coming days.
The PM Anthony Albanese said a process would begin to select a candidate:
The election is due by next May. There is some precedent for there being a gap for a short period of time. Minister Shorten will continue to serve until February.
It is possible there will be a small gap where the electorate office continues to serve the interests of the people, but of course Bill had this opportunity come before him…
Shorten quotes Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ when asked about regrets
Bill Shorten was also asked on his role in the removal of Kevin Rudd in 2010 and Julia Gillard to a lesser extend in 2013.
How do you reflect on those now? Do you have regrets about that all they are necessary part of the process of politics?
Shorten responded by quoting My Way by Frank Sinatra:
Regrets… I might borrow from someone else. Regrets, I’ve had a few, but then again, too few to mention. I did what I had to do but much more than this, I did it my way.
Shorten says Australians weren’t ready for tax reforms he proposed in 2019
Our own Paul Karp asked the following question:
The 2019 election platform to reform franking credits, negative gearing and capital gains tax, it is full of ideas which now have support not just from the Greens but also the lower house and the Senate crossbench. Were these ideas before their time, and is that a road map for Labor to do more on housing affordability and inequality?
Bill Shorten said he was proud of taking policies to the 2019 election “where we were honest and upfront.”
Some of the ideas, and I’m not referring particularly to yours, were bold and audacious. But this government has been able to succeed because they got elected and implementing some of the threads of the hard work from climate change, to A Future Made in Australia, to training our apprentices.
In terms of the tax reform propositions, the reality is that the verdict of the people was that they were not ready for that and where we were going on focusing on supply, building more housing, I think is the sensible, realistic proposition which brings people together and we have got a very ambitious program which we are rolling out.
Q: Not everybody survives mentally when they lose leadership, or they lose power. What is your advice to fellow politicians on how to survive that?
Bill Shorten responded:
No one in my family was ever a politician. Some of my British relatives came to see me before the 2019 election and they knew my grandmother. She lived in public housing … She was an air raid warden in the second world war, she was a cleaner …
My English family said it would be unimaginable to my grandmother, the idea that her grandson had the opportunity to run in parliament and to indeed run for prime minister.
I don’t worry about what hasn’t been, I think I am really lucky. I have had the chance to help create, defend and improve the NDIS. I have had the very privileged position to lead Labor. I have had the chance to help the victims of robodebt.
Every day in this job and I’m sure every member of parliament agrees, is a privileged day and as I said earlier, despite the ups and downs, there is not a single day I would hand back in the 17 years.
Bill Shorten is now taking questions from reporters.
He said the council of the University of Canberra unanimously approved him yesterday at 4pm, and he will be moving to Canberra next year to complete the role of vice chancellor.
Bill Shorten to be vice-chancellor of University of Canberra
Bill Shorten said that like many people in their 50s, he has started to think about what comes next – whether to seek another term, or step into a new career while he is “relatively young enough to make that choice”.
From February next year, he will be vice-chancellor of the University of Canberra.
Education is the modern means of taking someone from disadvantage to advantage in a way that no other method can. Universities have a critical role to play …
I’m looking forward to joining university that had been rated number one in the world for reducing inequalities, where 40% of graduates of the first in family to obtain a degree.
That was my mother’s story, so for me this is the fair go in action.
Bill Shorten said there is “not a single day in the last 17 years” that he would hand back, amid “some extraordinary political highs … [and] let’s face it, some extraordinary political lows.”
Every day I know how lucky I have been to have the privilege to serve the Australian people …
Bill Shorten also sent a message to people with disability, their carers and people who love and work with them.
The NDIS minister said he helped create and prepare the scheme, and “will always defend it.”
I will use every minute left in this job to secure the future of the scheme and ensure it continues to empower with choice and control and give Australians with disability the chance to fulfil their potential, and the same goes for every Australian who relies on Services Australia.
Shorten on his time as Labor leader: ‘We didn’t win every battle but Labor never stopped trying’
Bill Shorten is now reflecting on his time as Labor leader, coming in after the 2013 election.
He said the party was reduced to 55 seats and had suffered its “worst result since 1996”.
We were up against an ascendant Abbott government with a fierce ideological agenda and the 2014 budget was the centre of that … They were walking away from renewable energy, turning our back on climate action. If you look back at the commentary at the time, there were many who said Labor should simply roll over … [and] there were some who argued it would be smart politics for us to let people feel the pain of these cuts but instead, a united team, we decided to back ourselves …
We look to Australians not just for their approval, we trusted in the instinct for fairness … Not every idea succeeded, I understand that. We didn’t win every battle but Labor never stopped trying.
Whether it was defending Medicare or real action on climate, marriage equality, advancing First Nations representation in our ranks, championing wages and conditions, setting a target of 50% women MPs by 2025, the banking royal commission or tax reform. These were hard fights or worth having.
Shorten says there is ‘plenty more work to be done’
Bill Shorten said that his career would not have been possible “without the tremendous love, patience, support from Chloe (his wife), Rupert, Georgette and Clementine.”
The sacrifices they have made. Chloe has been a tower of love and strength and I think she has shown more courage than I’d dream could exist.
I will thank others later, because today is not valedictory. There’s plenty more work to be done.
