Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison announces retirement from politics
Former Liberal prime minister Scott Morrison will quit politics and move to the private sector, drawing the curtain on a tumultuous 16-year career in the Federal Parliament.
Mr Morrison confirmed his resignation in a Facebook post on Tuesday afternoon.
“Just letting you know (especially everyone locally) that after more than 16 years as the Member for Cook, I have decided to leave parliament at the end of February to take on new challenges in the global corporate sector and spend more time with my family,” he said.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Mr Morrison’s resignation from the Federal Parliament has been widely expected after leading the Coalition to a thumping election defeat in 2022.
The Australian reported that Mr Morrison would be joining a number of global strategic advising firms and roles on private boards, from connections made through his work on the AUKUS subs deal and the QUAD international alliance in the Pacific.
Elected in 2007 in the NSW seat of Cook, Mr Morrison emerged as prime minister after Peter Dutton’s failed attempt to seize Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership in 2018.
He won praise for his early handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and will be remembered as a chief architect of the AUKUS deal to acquire a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines.
But his stint was littered with missteps and scandal, including an ill-timed family holiday in Hawaii during the Black Summer fires, the bungled vaccine rollout and backlash over his handling of the Brittany Higgins allegations.
Mr Morrison’s unpopularity and perceived inaction on climate, integrity and the treatment of women inspired the wave of teal independents who helped dump the Coalition from power.
After the election defeat, it emerged Mr Morrison had secretly appointed himself to five different portfolios during the pandemic.
The 55-year has since sat on the backbench, making only half a dozen speeches in the past 18 months.
His resignation will trigger a byelection in the safe Liberal seat of Cook just south of Sydney.
The West understands local mayor Carmelo Pesce and former Liberal candidate Simon Kennedy are the frontrunners for preselection.
