Labor senator Jacinta Collins quits politics

The manager of opposition business in the Senate, Jacinta Collins, has announced she won’t contest the next election.

Labor senator Jacinta Collins will retire from politics. Picture: Gary Ramage

Labor’s longest-serving female Victorian senator Jacinta Collins has announced she won’t contest the next election, citing “family health issues” for her decision to quit politics.

The manager of opposition business in the Senate said it had been a “real privilege” to represent the state but the time was right to move on.

“I have been grappling with challenging family health issues for several years and I am keen to pursue a better work and family balance,” Senator Collins said.

“I joined the Senate in 1995 and I have served as a senator for Victoria for more than 20 years. During that time, I was honoured to be the minister for mental health and ageing as well as deputy leader of the government and manager of government business in the Senate.

“Being assistant minister for school education and workplace relations from 2010 to 2013 was a real highlight. I was proud to play a key role in the Gonski school education reforms as well as the introduction of the Fair Work Act which buried the Howard government’s unfair and unpopular WorkChoices legislation.”

Senator Collins, who is member of the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association and also the second longest-serving female Labor senator after Dorothy Tangney, declared Bill Shorten was leading a team “ready to govern”.

“It has been energising and rewarding to contribute to that dynamic team as well as the Senate leadership group, particularly in terms of developing policies to promote greater fairness and opportunity for all Australians,” she said.

“I am excited about what a Shorten Labor government will deliver for Australia.”

Labor sources said SDA official Raff Ciccone was a frontrunner to replace Senator Collins as the party’s No 1 candidate on the Victorian Senate ticket, with an expectation the union would retain the seat.