Daniel Andrews’ Government Is Rocked by Three Key Allies Quitting Politics on the Same Day
By Olivia Day
- Three Labor MP’s have announced their departure from politics on the same day
- Parliamentarians from Altona, Yan Yean and Ringwood will not seek re-election
- Former Attorney-General Jill Hennessy said she wished to prioritise her family
Daniel Andrews’ government has been rocked by a mass exodus that has seen three key MPs quit the Victorian parliament on the same day.
The Victorian Labor Party has been thrown into disarray after three parliamentarians threw in the towel on Wednesday.
Altona MP and former Attorney-General Jill Hennessy, Yan Yean MP Danielle Green and Ringwood MP Dustin Halse have advised they will not be seeking re-election.
The Victorian Labor Party has been thrown into disarray after three parliamentarians threw in the towel on Wednesday
The exodus has raised fears Labor could lose their comfortable majority – despite a recent Newspoll predicting Mr Andrews remains on track to win a third term as state leader.
Ms Hennessy, the proud member for Altona in Melbourne’s southwest, was the first to bow out of the next election, which is scheduled for November 26, 2022.
The former Attorney-General and minister for Health, Ambulance Services and Workplace Safety announced the news on her Facebook page.
In December 2020, Ms Hennessy announced she would be stepping away from her role as chief lawmaker to spend more time with her teenage daughters.
‘No matter how precious your family is, politics can blind you their needs if you’re not careful. And life is short,’ she wrote on Wednesday.
‘After some reflection, I came to the view that making the commitment to serve another four-year term was incompatible with the other important priorities in my life, especially if I wanted to give them all the best of me.’
Ms Hennessy said she would always be an ‘ardent cheerleader’ for the cherished communities, leaders and organisations in Melbourne’s west.
She thanked Mr Andrews for giving her the opportunity to be part of a team who delivered ‘life-changing investments and reforms’.
In turn, the premier said the MP had pioneered ‘some of the biggest reforms’ in Victoria including the nation’s first voluntary assisted dying scheme.
Mr Andrews said as Health Minister in their first term of government, Ms Hennessy had been ‘championing immunisation and taking on anti-vaxxers’ long before the Covid pandemic.
‘I want to thank Jill for the work she’s done, her years of service to the parliament and the Labor Party, and her dedication to our great movement,’ the premier said in a statement.
‘On a personal note, I want to thank her for her years of friendship and unwavering support – and wish her, Bernie and their daughters all the best for the future.’
MP for Yan Yean Danielle Green, also advised she would not be seeking re-election, after representing the locality in Melbourne’s northeast for nearly two decades.
The third and final MP to announce their resignation from politics was first-term Ringwood MP Dustin Halse
The MP said she looked forward to a work-life balance that would allow her to care for her husband – who has been battling skin cancer – as well as her two sons.
Mr Andrews said Ms Green had fought ‘tooth and nail’ for the people of Yan Yean on issues such as local roads, access to TAFE or vital health and ambulance services.
The third and final MP to announce their resignation from politics was first-term Ringwood MP Dustin Halse.
The premier commended his efforts in removing two dangerous and congested level crossings as well as his passionate and committed advocacy for his community.
