Two prominent Australian government ministers quitting politics in the next election

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Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt quit politics after spending 20 years in parliament and joined Attorney General Christian Porter in announcing his retirement.

Hunt has played one of the most important roles of the government as the country counters the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, Porter was once advertised as the future prime minister.

Wednesday’s media reports said that year to announce that Hunt would not re-contest his Victorian Flinders seat in the next election, despite repeatedly saying he would seek another term on Thursday. I guess I’ll use the last week of.

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Health Minister Greg Hunt will speak at a press conference by Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the CSL facility on February 12, 2021 in Melbourne, Australia. (Diego Fedele / Getty Images)

It came the same day that former Attorney General Christian Porter announced on Wednesday that he had decided not to re-contest with the Pierce seats in Western Australia, lamenting the “severity” associated with the elected position.

In a long statement on his website FacebookPorter said that “the only certainty right now” in politics is “there seems to be no limit to what some say, claim, or do in order to gain an edge over the perceived enemy.” rice field.

“This makes the rigors of the privilege of representing people more difficult than ever,” he said. “But I’ve probably experienced the rigors of modern politics more than many others, but I have no regrets.”

“I feel that the moments of the last 14 years have not been wasted, and I am grateful for the opportunities and friendships offered by my colleagues in Congress and the men and women of the Liberal Party.”

The 51-year-old was involved in a scandal most of 2021 after ABC announced a story about historic rape allegations against unnamed ministers earlier this year.

In March, Porter identified himself at the age of 17 as the subject of allegations of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl during a 1988 debate trip.

Parliamentarians violently denied the allegations, but were demoted from the Secretary of Justice to the Minister of Industry after resolving the defamation case against national broadcasters.

Epoch Times Photo
Attorney General Christian Porter spoke at a media conference in Perth, Australia, on March 3, 2021. (Paul Cane / Getty Images)

The case was withdrawn in May after ABC Issue a statement He said he did not suggest that Porter had committed the alleged criminal offense and regretted that “some readers misunderstood this article as a conviction against Mr. Porter.”

A September scandal sealed the fate of Porter’s parliament after it was revealed that an anonymous donor had paid part of his statutory costs.

The donation was made through a blind trust. This means that the identities of one or more donors, including the porter himself, are kept secret.

Parliamentarians decided to resign from the cabinet, explaining that he properly disclosed his interests in accordance with both rules and ministerial standards, but did not want his case to be a “useless distraction” for the government. He said he did.

Porter said he wanted to spend more time in politics with his family.

“If you have obsessive-compulsive disorder and are tasked with believing that you believe and are very important, the by-products are more valuable from you to the people of your life, especially your family. It deserves to be much less than that, “he said.

“My little boy was born the day before I first became federal minister. He and his sister knew nothing but his father’s regular absence.”

Nina Nguyen

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Nina Nguyen is a Sydney-based Vietnamese reporter with a focus on Australian news. Contact her at [email protected].

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