Updated ,first published
Opposition home affairs spokesman Jonno Duniam will quit politics by the end of the year, in a significant blow to the Liberal Party.
“Today, I announce that I will not be seeking to recontest the next federal election and shall be retiring from politics before the end of this year,” Duniam said in a statement.
“I leave federal politics proud and grateful but exhausted.”
Duniam, 43, said though it was a difficult decision, he wanted to spend more time with his family after 25 years in politics and a decade as a senator for Tasmania.
“I have given everything to these responsibilities, often at the expense of family … It is time I reversed my priorities and I can’t do that if I am to stay in politics.” he said.
“Now is the right time for my party to choose new Senate team members who will carry forward the fight for Tasmania and for the values in which the Liberal Party believes.”
Duniam acknowledged he was leaving at a “difficult time” for the Coalition but said he was confident in the party’s leadership.
“But I am confident that my friends across both the Liberal Party and the National Party are firmly on the right path. No two people in the Coalition are more equipped to lead us (and Australia) back to success than Angus Taylor and Matt Canavan; they are both outstanding leaders and have a love for our country that is unrivalled.”
Duniam said he was staying on for a short time at the request of Opposition Leader Angus Taylor, whom he told “some time ago” of his intention to quit.
“He has asked me to continue for a short period of time to complete work on our immigration policies. I am very happy to be able to do that – and to devote myself to building on the extensive work that Angus and the team have already undertaken on our Australian values migration plan and on restoring integrity, confidence and national interest to Australia’s migration system.”
The shock departure of the Tasmanian senator is a hit to the party for which he was elected in 2016.
The conservative factional heavyweight was viewed as a rising star within the party, taking on the prominent home affairs portfolio under Sussan Ley, which grew to include direct control over immigration policy under Angus Taylor – a key priority for the leader as he tries to fend off the encroaching One Nation tide.
Duniam’s government opposite, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, said the Liberal Party was losing one of its “best and brightest”.
“There’ll be plenty of times when Senator Duniam and I are sparring, and he’ll say some pretty harsh things, as you’d expect a shadow minister to say, but the reality is, whenever there’s been something squarely in the national interest, I’ve never seen him be anything other than professional,” Burke said, pointing to the bipartisan support for the banning of hate groups, such as Hizb ut-Tahrir, earlier this year.
“That was shepherded through the Coalition processes by Jonno Duniam … we are a safer nation because that’s been done, and it wouldn’t have happened were it not for his leadership as well.”
Fellow frontbencher Phillip Thompson said he had spoken with Duniam on Sunday morning and was sad to see him go.
“I fully understand his reasonings, though,” Thompson told Sky News. “Missing anniversaries, missing birthdays, missing holidays, you know, being the shadow home affairs minister he’s always out and about on TV, travelling, always away from his family, and it takes a toll.
“He’s been a fierce warrior and a fierce servant of the political party, but also of the Senate. He’s been a mentor of mine, he’s someone I call regularly, and ask for feedback off and get, you know, some different angles. He’s a great man, great person, and I wish him well.”
Duniam played a lead role in the negotiations over who would succeed Sussan Ley, backing Andrew Hastie who ultimately bowed out of the challenge.
Revelations that Duniam, a key member of Ley’s leadership team, was involved in the succession planning built momentum on the spill.
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Brittany Busch is a federal politics reporter for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.
