Greg Combet has announced that he will retire from Parliament at the forthcoming election.
Combet quit the Cabinet on Wednesday night, following the re-election of Kevin Rudd as the ALP’s leader, replacing Julia Gillard.
He says he was already in discussion with Gillard about leaving parliament. “My reasons are personal and are not attributable to the change in the leadership of the Labor Party this week, although this has provided a catalyst for my decision.”
The former Minister for Climate Change, Industry and Innovation has held the NSW electorate of Charlton since 2007. He was Secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions before entering parliament.
The triennial Congress of the Australian Council of Trade Unions has paid tribute to the work of its former Secretary, Bill Kelty.