A second member of the shadow cabinet has announced he is quitting parliament, further depleting the moderates’ presence in the parliamentary Liberal party and boosting the chance of the teal candidate in the Sydney seat of Bradfield.
Paul Fletcher, 59, manager of opposition business in the House of Representatives, on Tuesday said he would not recontest at the coming election. After the redistribution Bradfield is on 2.5% on a two-candidate basis. Once Liberal heartland, teal candidate Nicolette Boele achieved a big swing against Fletcher in 2022.
At the end of the parliamentary session, the opposition leader in the Senate, Simon Birmingham, announced he was leaving parliament. He is taking up a job with the ANZ bank and will resign from the Senate early in the new year to start his new role in February. Fletcher will see out his term.
