I’m making the decision today to stand aside as the Parliamentary leader of the Liberal Party.
I feel privileged to have been the leader of this great party and thank my Parliamentary colleagues for the opportunity they gave me to lead the party.
Given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our community, it has been extremely difficult for our message to resonate.
I’m standing aside to give the Liberal Party – with a new leadership team – the opportunity to reset our election strategy and give the public a real choice at the March election.
I’m also standing aside to give our very fine candidates the opportunity to be elected as the new generation of members representing the Liberal Party.
Many of them have resigned from their permanent jobs to campaign strongly in their communities.
This decision will give them clean air. They are energetic young men and women who will be strong, hard-working members for their communities.
To all Western Australians, my message to you is clear. When you vote on March 13th, remember that you will be voting for a party to govern for the next four years.
Prior to the onset of COVID-19, the Labor Government was a do nothing government. While they have done a good job of closing the borders initially, the difficult part is coming out of the lockdown. It is clear the Labor Government has no plan to manage this.
I will use the next 111 days to campaign for re-election in my seat of Scarborough and hope to be a senior member in a future Liberal government.