WA senator Linda Reynolds set to retire

Linda Reynolds says there is ‘no perfect time to leave politics’ but that it is ‘the right time for me’.

Senator Linda Reynolds is set to retire. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

West Australian Liberal senator Linda Reynolds has announced her retirement, saying there is “no perfect time to leave politics” but that it’s “the right time for me”.

In a brief statement on Monday, timed with the end of WA Liberal senate preselection, Senator Reynolds said she had advised the WA Liberal Party she would not be nominating as a candidate for another term as a Liberal senator.

The former defence minister will remain in the Senate until her term ends in June 2025.

“It is rare in politics to have the opportunity to choose the time and circumstances of your departure, and my decision has been made after considerable reflection of what is behind me and the opportunities that are now ahead of me,” the statement said.

She said in her next job she would “continue to service, but in new ways” without specifying a particular role.

Senator Reynolds was elected to the senate in 2014 and in the years afterwards took on positions as Defence Minister and Minister for Government Services and the NDIS, which she said she was “proud of”.

Senator Reynolds was given the Government Services and NDIS roles soon after allegations that her former staffer Brittany Higgins had been raped by colleague Bruce Lehrmann in her ministerial office, came to light.

Senator Reynolds was accused of failing to support Ms Higgins in the aftermath of the rape allegations and took medical leave on the advice of her cardiologist following the uproar caused by the public allegations.

In January this year, she sued Ms Higgins and her fiance, David Sharaz for defamation over comments made about her on social media - the latest in a long line of claims launched by the senator in the wake of the Lehrmann matter.

As she announced her resignation, Senator Reynolds said she was proud to have served her nation for 40 years, “in the Army, in the Liberal Party, in defence industry, in Parliament and in Government”, expressing her gratitude to the Liberal Party.

“Just as the health of our democracy can never be taken for granted, neither can the health of political parties – both must be constantly renewed and strengthened. I joined the Liberal Party over 35 years ago and my respect for, and belief in, the principles and values it was established on have only deepened over time,” she said in a statement.

“I owe the Liberal Party so much, none more so than for being appointed as Deputy Federal Director and preselected as a Senate candidate three times, including in the first position for my last election,” she said.

“I will of course keep working with my Party to assist it to diversify and strengthen and do all I can to support the election of Peter Dutton as our next Prime Minister and Libby Mettam as WA’s next Premier.

“Having achieved more than I set out to when I entered the Senate, there is no perfect time to leave politics, but this is the right time for me and for the WA Liberal Party to provide my successor with the same opportunities it has given me.”