ACT Legislative Assembly: Liberal MLA Giulia Jones resigns

Liberal MLA Giulia Jones has announced she will resign from the ACT Legislative Assembly. Find out why.

Liberal MLA Giulia Jones has taken to social media to announce her resignation from the ACT Legislative Assembly.

Accompanied by a photo of herself, her husband Bernard Jones and their six children Mrs Jones shared a written statement which cited family commitments and health issues as factors for her “difficult” decision to resign.

“I thank both the Liberal party and the voters of Murrumbidgee for the support you have given me and the trust you placed in me to represent you in this parliament for almost a decade,” she said.

Mrs Jones described normalising being a mum in the Assembly as one of her greatest achievements.

“I was the first mum to breastfeed on the floor of the ACT Legislative Assembly,” she said.

“(I) called for all the breastfeeding rooms in ACT and Commonwealth departments to be assessed and upgraded to meet the real needs of breastfeeding and pumping mothers including their right to privacy.”

Outgoing Liberal MLA for Murrumbidgee Giulia Jones.

Mrs Jones reflected on the roles she undertook during her near-decade long career.

“I was proud to be part of the first all-female leadership team of the Canberra Liberals serving as deputy leader and shadow minister health during the most aggressive phase of the global pandemic,” she said.

“As the shadow minister for multicultural affairs I have worked to see a better complaints handling process for all of these acts which cause great angst and suffering to members of our multicultural communities.”

She also didn’t shy away from the more difficult aspects of being a high profile politician.

“I have also been subject to abuse and attacks in many forms both inside and outside the parliament,” she said.

“I hope I held myself to a higher standard and treated all my opponents with grace and dignity despite our differences in professional and personal opinion.”

Mrs Jones said she would continue to be a member of the Liberal party and said she hopes “ to be a part of shaping its future for years to come”.

She also gave tribute to her husband describing him as her “rock” and “the reason a mum of six has been able to undertake this position,”

“His 5am laundry folding and late night sitting with children to get them to sleep is the main reason for our success,” she said.

“I cannot be more grateful for him and our six patient, wonderful children.”

Giulia Jones has thanked her husband Bernard and her six children for their support during her political career. Picture: Facebook

ACT Opposition leader Elizabeth Lee paid tribute to Mrs Jones describing her as a politician who fought tirelessly for local issues in her community.

“This includes her continued calls for shops at Coombs and Molonglo Valley and better community facilities for people at Woden,” Ms Lee said.

“Giulia will be remembered for her fierce advocacy for women and families and was a great role model for working mums.

“Most of all, Giulia has continuously shown a great deal of empathy and conviction on representing many members of the community that have been left behind by this Labor-Greens Government.

“I wish Giulia and her family all the very best.”

Mrs Jones will formalise her resignation and give her valedictory speech when the ACT Legislative Assembly sits next week.

Originally published as ACT Legislative Assembly: Liberal MLA Giulia Jones resigns