Nicole Lawder, a moderate Liberal figure who has represented southern Canberra in the Legislative Assembly for a decade and campaigned strongly for a more accessible city, will retire from politics at the next election.
Ms Lawder, a former deputy opposition leader, said it had been a privilege to represent the residents of Tuggeranong in the seat of Brindabella since 2013, but she looked forward to taking on new challenges.
"I would like to thank the residents of Tuggeranong for putting their faith in me, and inviting me into their lives, sharing their hopes and dreams and challenges," Ms Lawder, 61, said in a statement.
"It has been an honour to assist them whenever I could."
Ms Lawder said she did not want to stay around forever and become a bit jaded or cynical.
"There are things I'm very proud of and I'll continue to work on that," she said, pointing to her focus on supporting people with deafness and expand the use of Auslan in the Legislative Assembly.
Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee thanked Ms Lawder for being a loyal and committed member of the team, who had brought invaluable experience to the Canberra Liberals' party room.
"Her dedication to her constituents has been unwavering and I know she will be sadly missed by the people in Brindabella," Ms Lee said.
"Nicole came into the Assembly with a depth of experience in community, public and private roles, most notably as CEO of Homelessness Australia and the Deafness Forum of Australia.
"Even before entering politics, Nicole's dedication and passion for her community was strong having served on many boards including the Tuggeranong Football Club and volunteering for organisations such as Ronald McDonald House, Community Fire Unit Fadden and Red Cross."
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said he wished Ms Lawder, a dedicated member of the Assembly, all the best in her retirement.
"Ms Lawder is a recognised leader of the moderate faction of the Canberra Liberals. Her departure will further strengthen the vice like grip the conservative right has on the party," Mr Barr said.
Ms Lawder said she wanted to see more progressive people join the Liberal party, which worked best as a broad church.
"I will be and I always have been encouraging people with progressive views to join our Liberal Party and hopefully stand for preselection," she said.
Ms Lawder said in 2013 her personal passions were in the disability and community sectors, where she began working after her brother, econometrics lecturer Dr Lee Gordon-Brown, was shot by a student at Monash University in 2002.
"That was a traumatic time for our family," Ms Lawder told The Canberra Times.
"At that point, while I was in the hospital waiting room, I thought if I died what would people say about me? What have I achieved?
"At that point I decided I wanted to do something that would bring about holistic change in the community."
Ms Lawder filled the casual vacancy caused in the Assembly when former opposition leader Zed Seselja resigned to stand for the senate in the 2013 federal election. Ms Lawder won the seat with a margin of eight votes.
"I am a liberal in the traditional small 'L' liberal sense of believing in the individual, their rights and their enterprise. I strongly believe in freedom of choice, personal effort and responsibility and reward for hard work," Ms Lawder told the Assembly in her inaugural speech in August 2013.
Ms Lawder narrowly won a seat at the 2016 election, telling The Canberra Times she was a moderate Liberal and as "far on the left" as possible in the Liberal party.
Ms Lawder, who was again re-elected in 2020, currently serves as opposition whip, as well as Liberal party spokeswoman on city services, seniors, women, arts, environment, heritage and water.
Speaker Joy Burch, a Labor member for Brindabella, will also resign at the 2024 election, to be held in just under a year's time.
