Election exodus leaves NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet’s frontbench unrecognisable

With 12 ministers and former ministers having quit parliament, pushed to the cross bench, or retiring at the next election, the Coalition has lost 63 years of experience around the cabinet table as a state election looms.

Premier Dominic Perrottet will go to an election with a frontbench team unrecognisable from the cabinet sworn in after Gladys Berejiklian won the 2019 election.

With 12 ministers and former ministers having quit parliament, pushed to the cross bench, or retiring at the next election, the Coalition has lost 63 years of experience around the cabinet table.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard on Monday was the latest in a string of ministers – and MPs – to quit politics, leading to suggestions from Labor that the government’s best days are behind it. Eleven members of the ministry sworn in after the 2019 election have quit or will quit at the election.

That includes Ms Berejiklian herself, former deputy premier John Barilaro, and former transport minister Andrew Constance – who all quit in 2021. Mr Hazzard, Transport Minister David Elliott, Cities Minister Rob Stokes, and Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello have all recently announced they will pull up stumps.

South Coast MP Shelly Hancock will quit at the election, as will Oxley MP Melinda Pavey.

Former arts minister Don Harwin left in 2022 after being dumped from his portfolio.

A further two – John Sidoti and Gareth Ward – were forced on to the cross bench and suspended from parliament amid separate scandals.

Former minister Stuart Ayres was forced to resign from the ministry over the Barilaro trade appointment saga, but could be reinstated as early as December when Mr Perrottet is due to announce a reshuffle.

A number of backbenchers have also quit or will retire from politics – including former MP Michael Johnsen who resigned causing a by-election. Speaker Jonathan O’Dea will also bow out at the ­election.

Gladys Berejiklian’s resignation triggered a mass exodus of MPs. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

That amounts to a total of 216 years of parliamentary experience leaving the Coalition.

“It is hard not to draw the conclusion that the Liberal-National government’s days are behind it,” Labor leader Chris Minns said. “You’ve seen the departure of the major personalities and Coalition politicians that the people of NSW voted for in 2019 – Stokes, Elliott and Hazzard.”

Mr Minns has also lost seven of his MPs since 2019 to retirements or sackings.

That includes sacked frontbencher Tania Mihailuk, former Opposition police spokesman Walt Secord, and upper house MP Mick Veitch, who was rolled at the Labor conference.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has a tough job ahead of him with so many ministers quitting.

Mr Perrottet on Sunday said resignations were a “natural part of politics”.

He said it was “positive” to have renewal in his parliamentary team.

Mr Perrottet welcomed the change from parliaments of the past, where MPs stayed in office until “they were 60, 70, 80 years of age”.

“I don’t think that’s in the best interests of a strong, robust democracy,” he said.

“I think it’s good for renewal and I think what you’re certainly seeing in modern politics today is people coming in, making a contribution, and then going on to doing other things.

“I think that’s something that we should actually welcome and cherish, because you bring new energy into a team.”