The NSW Corrections Minister and Parramatta Liberal MP Geoff Lee has announced he will retire at the next state election after 12 years in politics.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mr Lee, the first lower house MP of Chinese heritage, said he had made the decision to put his family first and would step down in March next year.
"I'm honoured to have been the first member of the NSW Legislative Assembly with Chinese heritage, and I hope the next member for Parramatta can continue my legacy of representing our diverse, multicultural area," the western Sydney MP said on Monday.
"I will always be a passionate advocate for Parramatta, a place I love."
Elected in the coalition's 2011 landslide victory, Mr Lee served as minister for sport, multiculturalism, seniors, veterans and tertiary education under former premier Gladys Berejiklian, and later took on the corrections portfolio in the Perrottet government.
"I am proud to have served as a minister in the NSW government under the leadership of two great premiers, Gladys Berejiklian and Dominic Perrottet," he said.
"Cities like Parramatta can only transform with a skilled workforce and I will always be proud that as a minister, I was able to implement an innovative program to support high school students in their final years to choose vocational educational offerings while receiving mentoring and support through the Educational Pathways Project."
Mr Lee said he was proud of his achievements as Parramatta MP in delivering a number of major projects.
This included a $1 billion upgrade to Westmead Hospital, a $600 million upgrade to Westmead Children's Hospital, the $3 billion Parramatta Light Rail Project, and the construction of the $300 million CommBank Stadium in 2019.
Mr Perrottet said Mr Lee made an "important contribution to the people of NSW" during his time in state politics.
"On behalf of the NSW government and the NSW Liberal Party, I thank Geoff for his outstanding contribution to the people of our state and the Parramatta electorate and wish him and his family all the best," the premier said.
A number of Liberal MPs have announced they will not be contesting the upcoming state election, including Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello, Riverstone MP Kevin Conolly and Vaucluse MP Gabrielle Upton.
On Monday, Nationals MP Chris Gulaptis also confirmed he would not contest the seat of Clarence in March.
Infrastructure, Cities, and Active Transport Minister Rob Stokes said he was still weighing up whether he would contest the next election, and had yet to discuss it with his family.
"That's a hypothetical question," Mr Stokes said when asked to commit to the March election.
"Nominations for the seat of Pittwater have not yet been opened.
"I suspect they'll be open within the next few weeks and I'll sit down with my family and have a think about what we do next."
Australian Associated Press
