Declaring her loyalty to the Liberal Party, Ms Bishop said she made her decision after becoming sure the government would win the election. "During the last two weeks it has become evident that Labor has learnt nothing from its past failings and is doomed to repeat these failings if elected,” she said. Julie Bishop announces her retirement on Thursday. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer "It is thus my view that the Liberal-National Coalition will win the next election and that the government will be returned to office because it is focused on the matters that matter to the Australian people." Ms Bishop had fended off questions about her future in recent weeks, saying it was her "intention" to run, a remark that did not quell talk of her imminent departure.

She said on Thursday she had been contacted by many talented people "including women" who indicated they would contest the seat if she did not. The announcement drew a standing ovation from Coalition and Labor MPs in the House of Representatives on Thursday afternoon and was followed by speeches from Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten to congratulate her on her career. Julie Bishop and Scott Morrison during Question Time on Thursday. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer Liberals have speculated that one of the reasons for her relatively late decision, only three months out from the election, was to make it more difficult for Attorney-General Christian Porter to seek preselection for her seat. Ms Bishop told Parliament that she had won her seat of Curtin in 1998 with a primary vote of 44.6 per cent and had increased this to 65.6 per cent at the last election. The Liberal vote in two-party terms was 71 per cent.

Mr Porter suffered a 5.7 per cent swing against him in his nearby seat of Pearce at the last election, winning with a Liberal vote in two-party terms of just 53.6 per cent. Julie Bishop tells the House of Representatives she will quit politics. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Ms Bishop said she had "closely observed" Mr Morrison and his colleagues in the Parliament, in the party room and in press conferences and was confident they would win the election. "Australians will remember that in 2007 the Labor Party promised to deliver responsible budgets yet in government they trashed the nation’s finances through wasteful and reckless spending," she said. "Labor also promised to maintain strong border protection, yet in government they presided over one of the greatest policy failures in a generation when they weakened those border protection laws."

Illustration: Matt Golding Credit: Ms Bishop said it had been an “immense honour” to be Australia’s first female foreign minister and to be succeeded by her colleague Marise Payne as the second woman in the post. “We should be so proud of our reputation and the high regard in which we are held as a nation – an open, liberal democracy committed to freedoms and the rule of law and democratic institutions,” she said. "I thank and acknowledge the prime ministers in whose cabinets I served – John Howard, Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull." Mr Turnbull said Ms Bishop had been Australia's "finest foreign minister" and described her as eloquent, elegant and "always courageous" in advancing the national interest.

Mr Abbott called her a "very effective foreign minister in my government" and said she would always be remembered as the first woman to hold the post and the first woman to be the Liberal Party's deputy leader. Loading Ms Bishop was more popular than her colleagues as preferred prime minister in polling conducted last year for the Liberal Party, putting her ahead of Mr Turnbull, Mr Morrison and Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton. A Roy Morgan poll conducted during the week of the spill found Ms Bishop had a substantial lead over Mr Shorten as preferred prime minister. Internal Liberal polling also found she had stronger personal approval ratings among voters than Mr Turnbull, Mr Morrison and Mr Dutton. In a controversial factional play to win the Liberal party room leadership spill last August, only 11 members voted for Ms Bishop in the first round to help Mr Morrison defeat Mr Dutton.