AFTER more than 20 years representing the people of the Flinders electorate in federal parliament, Liberal Greg Hunt is looking forward to spending more time at home with his family.
When announcing his retirement from federal politics, Mr Hunt told parliament “it’s time to turn to focus on another family: Paula, Poppy, James, Elsa and Charlie the cavoodle”.
“But for all the time that we have spent together, and as fond as I am of the Prime Minister [Scott Morrison] and the Treasurer [Josh Frydenberg], my card is ultimately elsewhere – sorry, Josh,” he said.
“It is with my family. My amazing wife, Paula, who is in the gallery today, is a nurse, carer, counsellor and confidante. But perhaps above all else she’s raised two beautiful children largely as a single mother.
“I am so immensely proud of Poppy, who is going into year 11, and of James, who is about to go into senior school. They’re both getting awards this week and, again, I’m not there. On Sunday they looked at me and said: ‘Dad, this is your last chance to be a proper dad. It’s time to come home, Dad’.”
His announcement is an illustration of the ever-changing circumstances and decisions in politics. On Friday 1 October Mr Hunt told The Times: “I have been pre-selected and am running.” Two months later he was telling parliament that his place as the candidate for Flinders at next year’s election should be taken by a woman.
“I think it is time, subject to the will of the local branch members, for a strong, brilliant woman to be the Liberal candidate for Flinders. And I’m very confident about the future of this great party in this coalition.”
Zoe McKenzie, who has previously worked for Mr Hunt while health minister and former trade minister Andrew Robb, is tipped as succeeding Mr Hunt as the Liberal Party’s candidate for Flinders.
Ms McKenzie is on the board of the lobby group Committee for Mornington Peninsula, whose executive officer Briony Hutton has sought Liberal preselection for the state seat of Hastings, held by Neale Burgess, who will not seek re-election next year.
