Peter Khalil steps down as intelligence committee chair, Raff Ciccone to take over
The backbench MP has been dealing with an increased workload for months.
Labor MP Peter Khalil has stepped down as chairman of the powerful Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS), as he faces a serious challenge from the Greens to retain his inner Melbourne seat.
Capital Brief can confirm that members of the committee were informed on Tuesday afternoon that Khalil was stepping down, with Labor senator Raff Ciccone to take over.
Khalil has been dealing with an increased workload in recent months, after he was appointed as special envoy on social cohesion by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in July.
Former Victorian Greens leader Samantha Ratnam has also launched a serious challenge in his seat in Wills, where disaffection over the government’s response to war in the Middle East threatens Labor’s grip. A redistribution in June also added traditionally Greens-voting areas to the seat.
