Federal minister for women says she will not recontest her Melbourne electorate of Higgins

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Federal government minister Kelly O’Dwyer has announced she won’t recontest the next election, citing the “very personal reasons” of wanting to spend time with her young children.

The resignation of one of the government’s most senior women is a serious blow to the Coalition, already expected to lose the federal election in May.

O’Dwyer, who is the minister for women and for jobs and industrial relations, said she could not commit to another three-year term and there had been “too many byelections of late” and she had no intention of causing another one.

“In composing photo books and looking at the special moments over the Christmas period I’ve seen how many I have missed and I know how many I will miss,” she told the media on Saturday.

“I no longer want to consistently miss out on seeing my children when I wake up in the morning and when I got to bed at night.”

Are women the real 'forgotten people' of the Liberal party? | Katharine Murphy Read more

O’Dwyer, who turns 42 this year, said she and her husband also wanted to grow their family and for that to happen “everything would have to go right”.

“Like so many families, our journey to parenthood has not been straightforward and my husband and if I want to give ourselves the opportunity for a third child we have to be realistic,” she said.

O’Dwyer said she ordinarily would not canvass her personal reasons for leaving but she believed the opposition would use her resignation to further their own agendas if she did not.

The Coalition has faced criticism for its lack of gender diversity. O’Dwyer is one of just 12 women among the 60 Liberal MPs, and one of six women among the 23 Coalition frontbenchers.

In a meeting with the prime minister, Scott Morrison, and others following the brutal Victorian election loss for the Liberals, O’Dwyer reportedly said the party was viewed as “homophobic, anti-women, climate change deniers”.

O’Dwyer joined the Liberal party at the age of 17 and has spent nearly a decade as an MP for the Victorian seat of Higgins.

On Saturday she said she had no doubt her party would pre-select another woman to contest her seat.

She said she had total confidence in the party and Morrison to win.

O’Dwyer listed among her achievements superannuation and banking reform, domestic violence leave and moves on economic security for women.

“It is essential we continue to build women’s economic security”.

Kelly O'Dwyer says MPs were bullied during spill, as senator vows to name names Read more

She said the choice to quit politics was right for her and her family, and she was able to make it because she was confident about her seat and the government.

“This does not mean men or women have to choose between children and public service,” she said.

“Of course there are sacrifices and for a time I have willingly made them. With the right support you can do both and do both well.”

She said she was grateful to former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, Julie Bishop, and Morrison for their support for her as a breastfeeding mother in cabinet and on the expenditure review committee.

Morrison, who stood with O’Dwyer as she made her announcement, said she came to him earlier in the week with her resignation, and he wanted her to continue as minister until the election.

Kelly O'Dwyer to launch taxpayer-funded ad campaign to reduce domestic violence Read more

He said O’Dwyer had his full support.

O’Dwyer was “great woman who’s done a great job for her country and community” and had made a great choice for her family, he said.

He said women he worked with “made their choices” and that demonstrated their “great strength”.

“There has been no one I’ve known in our parliament who had worked harder and I believe achieved more than Kelly O’ Dwyer in working on those issues.”

Brendan O’Connor, the shadow minister for workplace and industrial relations, said he wished O’Dwyer and her family well.

“We hold very different views but she has told the truth about her party’s problem with women,” he said.

“The loss of most senior woman is a very sad indictment on [Morrison] and the Liberal’s treatment of women in 2019.”