Andrew Constance won’t contest the next NSW election
Just hours after clarifying resignation rumours and declaring that “it took a bloody big fire for me to realise how wrong politics is in this country”, Bega MP Andrew Constance has made a final call on his future.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Bega MP Andrew Constance will not contest the next NSW election, announcing the news hours after confirming he will resign from politics after the bushfire recovery.
Mr Constance made the initial resignation remarks in a light fashion during a radio interview this morning on 2GB before further clarifying his future on the same station this afternoon.
“I’m not going to contest the next election,” he told 2GB’s Ben Fordham.
“When you go through something like this and you re-evaluate your life, it's tough.
“I have chosen a course with my political career, particularly with these fires; openness, honesty, no more of the machine politics.”
After almost losing his home on the NSW south coast, Mr Constance reiterated that his focus is on getting the bushfire recovery “right” after earlier confirming he would stick around until communities are rebuilt.
“I am going to fight very, very hard to get this recovery to be the best that it should be and it hasn’t been just yet. There’s still a long way to go, particularly with small business. I don’t want to go any further in politics,” he said.
The Daily Telegraph understands Mr Constance made the remarks in a bid to hose down increasing speculation he was on track to be the next premier, or would make a tilt for federal politics.
A spokeswoman for Mr Constance clarified following the interview that the recovery would take years and he had no plans to resign any time soon.