Gavin Pearce reflects on his political career following the announcement of his retirement

By entering politics, Gavin Pearce says he broke a promise he made to himself after his first wife died in 2009, which he believes has taken an “incredible toll” on him.

Outgoing Federal Braddon MP Gavin Pearce at his Burnie electorate office. Picture: Simon McGuire.

Despite being a federal politician since 2019, Gavin Pearce says he sometimes wonders whether he has the personality for the job.

“My focus hasn’t been the bright lights and lighting up a radar a lot; my primary focus has been doing what I was elected to do, and that’s sticking up for my people, and a lot of times that’s not up in lights,” he said.

“I don’t attack other politicians and get myself in the paper.”

Mr Pearce described himself as a “grassroots politician” focused on his constituents.

“That’s not a sexy story to sell in the paper. If I was more controversial, then maybe you would see more of me in the press.

“But that’s not me. I want what’s right for my people, and I’m beyond the ego when it comes to the press.

“Sometimes I wonder whether I possess enough ego to be in this job, but I do take things to heart, and my focus is those people that look me in the eye every day and want their stuff fixed.”

Outgoing Federal Braddon MP Gavin Pearce at his Burnie electorate office. Picture: Simon McGuire.

On Tuesday, Mr Pearce announced that he would not be recontesting his seat of Braddon for a third term in the next federal election.

The Liberal MHR was first elected to the northwest Tasmanian seat in 2019 after defeating Labor incumbent Justine Keay.

Three years later, despite the Liberals losing government, Mr Pearce recorded a more than six per cent swing in his favour.

It was the most significant swing nationally for any Coalition MP in the 2022 election.

Since announcing his intention to step down from politics, Mr Pearce said his phone had been ringing constantly.

“A lot of the calls were not only from colleagues but constituents as well.

“It’s incredible; sometimes I didn’t necessarily realise the amount of support that I have out there.

“It’s humbling to hear that from genuine people that are wanting to reach out to me.”

Unlike most politicians, Mr Pearce said he often gave his phone number to his constituents, specifically business owners, in the Braddon electorate.

“I thought it was normal; I thought every politician did. But apparently, that’s not the case.

“I’ve been in Canberra and at dinners with colleagues, and they wonder why my phone is continually buzzing.

“I said ‘well, that’s constituents ringing me,’ and they said, ‘they ring you directly?’

“And I said ‘yeah, that’s the way it is here on the northwest coast – we’re very plugged in’.”

MP Gavin Pearce speaks during the citizenship ceremony at the Paranaple Arts Centre, Devonport, Tasmanian 19th September 2023.Picture Grant Viney

However, Mr Pearce said it had taken an “incredible toll” on him.

“You’ve got 100,000 people to look after, and you can’t be like that.

“That’s the way I do business – that’s the way I am – but it’s not probably the sustainable thing to do.”

The former Army veteran, businessman and farmer said he had been contemplating walking away from politics since late last year.

Mr Pearce spent 20 years in the defence force before buying a farm at Lapoinya, near Wynyard and starting his own business with his first wife, Amanda-Jane, who died from lymphoma in 2009.

“All of a sudden, I was a single parent, a business operator, and a farmer.

“It made me realise just how short and fickle life is, and I promised then to myself that I would never allow myself to be distracted and to focus on the important things in life.

“And here I am doing relatively the same thing again.”

Mr Pearce has since had two more children, aged nine and three, with his partner Megan.

“I am never home, and even when I’m home, I’ve got a million things in my mind, and I’m not unique.

“There are a lot of politicians in the same situation or similar situations. I don’t know whether the general public realises that or not.”

Liberal member for Braddon Gavin Pearce after retaining his seat in the 2022 Federal election. Picture: Simon Sturzaker for The Mercury Newspaper, 21st May 2022.

Since the Liberals lost government in 2022, Mr Pearce has been Shadow Assistant Minister for Health, Aged Care and Indigenous Health Services.

He said he found the transition to being in opposition is difficult.

“I can’t just pick the phone up or walk into someone’s office like the Treasurer or the Prime Minister.

“A lot of these projects that I’ve seen announced, I’ve had to sit there and watch Labor announce them.

“I know that’s my work and the previous government’s work. But I know it’s for the good of my region at the end of the day.”

He said he sometimes felt as though he was disappointing his constituents.

“The worst thing for me is that the need is still there, that trust is still there; people still look me in the eye and are hurting,” Mr Pearce said.

“I can’t fix things as easily as I could when we were in government. But the look that they give you is the same.

“It’s a very difficult thing to manage, especially when you care so much about the people that give you that look.”

Mr Pearce said there would be “no slackening off” for the remainder of his term.

Originally published as Gavin Pearce reflects on his political career following the announcement of his retirement