Ted Baillieu and Andrew McIntosh take final bow from politics together, 15 years after being elected

THEY entered state politics 15 years ago, after an election that delivered a hung Parliament and a shock Labor government, so it’s fitting that Ted Baillieu and Andrew McIntosh should bow out ­together this week.

Hawthorn Mp Ted Baillieu (R) and Andrew McIntosh are both local MPs who are retiring from politics. Picture: Paul Loughnan

THEY entered state politics 15 years ago, after an election that delivered a hung Parliament and a shock Labor government.

So it is fitting that Ted Baillieu and Andrew McIntosh — the long-serving Liberal members for Hawthorn and Kew — should bow out ­together this week, ahead of an election many pundits predict will be just as close.

Both have had stints on the front bench during the most recent term.

Mr Baillieu, 61, was Premier for more than two years until his shock resignation in March 2013, while Mr McIntosh served as Minister for Crime Prevention, ­Corrections, Gaming and the ­establishment of the anti-corruption commission. But it was representing their electorates that both said they would miss the most in retirement, when they spoke exclusively to the Progress Leader last week.

Mr McIntosh, 59, said working with schools had been constantly rewarding.

He nominated the promised $4.2 million upgrade to Kew East Primary School — contingent on a Coalition victory on Saturday — as one of the proudest achievements of his tenure.

“The school hasn’t had a significant upgrade since the 1920s,” he said.

“I’ve often said there’s really only one industry in Kew, and that’s education.

“And it’s continuing to flourish — we have some of the best private and public schools in the state.”

School upgrades also featured strongly on Mr Baillieu’s list, including a promised $10.8 million redevelopment for Camberwell High School and the creation of Auburn High School.

He also nominated the rollout of Protective Service Officers at train stations and the successful community campaign against a high-rise apartment complex planned above Camberwell train station, which was ­finally shelved in 2012.

Neither shied away from the fact their successors faced challenges.

Mr McIntosh said access to the Kew electorate’s public schools would ­always require monitoring, with zone restrictions making enrolments competitive.

Mr Baillieu said the new Hawthorn member would have key traffic management issues, including at the Glenferrie Rd level crossing.

But he also found time for a joke, when asked if there were any regrets from his time in Parliament.

“I’ve had to reconcile a fundamental incongruence for the past 15 years — it’s been extremely difficult to be the Member for Hawthorn and also be a Geelong supporter.”