Son of former MP tipped to replace Anthony Lynham
As minister Anthony Lynham blames career considerations for his resignation from Parliament, The Courier-Mail can reveal the Labor figure set to take his place.
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The powerful AWU has denied being behind a clandestine push to cut short the six-year political career of senior Labor minister Anthony Lynham.
In a strongly worded statement yesterday, Labor’s Right faction union said Dr Lynham was a champion of Queensland workers.
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About three hours later, Dr Lynham, the Natural Resources, Mines and Energy Minister, announced he would not be recontesting his seat of Stafford at the upcoming state election.
The maxillofacial surgeon said it had become clear to him that he could not maintain his medical registration as a doctor and give 100 per cent to his job as a politician.
“And the people of Stafford and Queensland deserve 100 per cent,” he said.
The Courier-Mail yesterday revealed bitter divisions had erupted within the Government over a behind-the-scenes push to oust the Minister.
Jim Sullivan, who was chief of staff for Attorney-General and Justice Minister Yvette D’Ath until recently, is considered the likely successor to run for the safe seat, which Labor holds with a margin of about 12 per cent.
Dr Lynham won the Stafford by-election in 2014, securing a massive 19 per cent swing towards Labor.
He was made state development and natural resources and mines minister when Labor took government in 2015, before a short stint as acting minister for agriculture and fisheries and acting minister for rural economic development in 2017, before taking on his current portfolio after the 2017 election.
Dr Lynham was a driving force behind the controversial lockout laws, which aimed to reduce alcohol-fuelled violence.
During his valedictory speech yesterday, the Minister said he came into Parliament with a goal to achieve, speaking of the laws that decreased pubs and clubs’ trading hours by two hours.
“That’s all we had to do and the violence decreases,” he said.
He thanked a raft of people including Jim, Terry and Trish Sullivan.
Terry, Jim’s father, held Stafford and its predecessor seats from 1991 to 2006.
Dr Lynham said he was proud of his record in leading the greatest reforms of mine safety and health in Queensland in two decades which included the passing of industrial manslaughter legislation earlier this year.
He said as he moved back to medicine, he committed to rolling up his sleeves as a doctor to assist with the pandemic if he was required.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk paid tribute to Dr Lynham, whom she joked her Government called “the good doctor”.
“Very rarely do you meet a person who comes in here purely to change policy,” she said.