Bill Shorten to retire from politics
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The news: Senior cabinet minister Bill Shorten has announced his retirement from federal parliament today at a press conference alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, as he takes up the role of vice-chancellor of the University of Canberra.
The context: Shorten, who led the party in opposition for six years between 2013 and 2019, will remain the Minister for National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and Government Services until February next year ahead of an election which needs to be held by May.
Shorten's future has been a constant source of speculation, but it was widely thought he would be continuing on after the election following the retirements of cabinet ministers Brendan O'Connor and Linda Burney and the subsequent reshuffle in July.
Last month, Shorten struck a deal with the states and territories over the government’s NDIS changes, paving the way for them to become law.
Shorten will leave behind a legacy of putting the NDIS back on a more sustainable financial footing and the establishment of the 'robo-debt' royal commission which exposed a culture of dysfunction among senior public servants running an unlawful program under the former Coalition government.
He will also be remembered for rebuilding the federal Labor Party after the disastrous 2013 election loss, but also for the shock 2019 defeat when he took an ambitious set of tax policies to the election including reforming negative gearing, capital gains tax and franking credits.
At the press conference in the Prime Minister's Courtyard in Parliament House, Shorten said there was still work to be done before he leaves office to take up the position with the University of Canberra.
Shorten said his appointment was unanimously approved by the university’s council on Wednesday afternoon, and that he will move to Canberra to take up the role.
The timing will heighten speculation that Albanese will call a March election, considering that a May election might be seen as too big of a gap between when Shorten leaves and the poll.
Albanese and Shorten have long been factional and leadership rivals but insiders said they had a productive working relationship in government.
What they said: "I was driven by the belief that everyone, regardless of circumstance, deserves an equal opportunity," Shorten said.
“The opportunity to fulfil their potential. Fair wages, safe workplaces, decent conditions, that is what they are all about. It’s about recognising the merit and worth of every individual.
“I genuinely consider myself to be one of the luckiest people in politics.
“I have been the member for Maribyrnong, it is a community that I love so much. I’ve had the privilege to serve in portfolios that I care about. The bushfire reconstruction, industrial relations, superannuation. When I first came, I was the junior minister for disabilities, and now I’m the minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme.”
Albanese said: “Bill took over in the wake of a demoralising 2013 defeat. He united the party, re-energised the caucus and saw off two prime ministers and rebuilt Labor into a strong opposition and a genuine alternative government,” Albanese said.
“Through his years as leader, no one worked harder than Bill. No one brought more energy, enthusiasm, ideas and ambition to advocating the need for a Labor government.
“It is a measure of Bill’s character that he channelled the disappointment of 2019 into fighting for justice for the victims of robo-debt."
Albanese said he looks forward to continuing to work with Shorten until February.
“I thank Bill Shorten for the decades of service he has given to the Labor movement and the lives of working people and I look forward to over the coming months, continuing to watch Bill make a difference in public life and beyond that, making a difference to Australian society in his next endeavours," Albanese said.
The sources: Capital Brief sources, Bill Shorten press conference
