That is one of the messages Sussan Ley shared when formally announcing her resignation from politics on Friday.
Two weeks after losing the Liberals leadership vote and announcing to media she would be resigning, Ms Ley formally wrote to the Speaker of the House of Representatives on Friday to advise of her immediate resignation from Parliament and as the Member for Farrer.
In lieu of returning for her valedictory speech, Ms Ley instead issued a statement to media.
“I am confident that my efforts and achievements over 25 years will speak for themselves; as a local member, Minister in four Coalition governments and Leader of the Liberal Party, as well as in the minds of the many people whose lives touched mine along the way,” she said.
“Naturally, I am sad to no longer represent my electorate of Farrer.
“Every community in Farrer is unique. My approach was that one size does not fit all, and I always fought to ensure that all of my constituents, whether they lived in the bigger centres or miles away from them, were treated with the same importance as anyone else, anywhere else across Australia.
“The people and their stories will always be with me. Farming families battling fires, dust storms, drought and low irrigation allocations; small business owners breathing activity into quiet streets and local volunteers asking for so little but doing so much.”
Ms Ley highlighted that since being created in 1949, Farrer has only been represented by Coalition parties - the Liberal Party for 60 years and the National Party for 17 years - and said she believes “Australia is best served by Coalition governments”.
“After the Liberal Party suffered our worst defeat in 81 years, it was with gratitude and humility that I took on the role of Leader of our Party. I was elected by my parliamentary colleagues, and I thank them once again for the opportunity to serve.
It will be for commentators and historians to measure the period of my leadership, but I am proud that we were instrumental in establishing a Commonwealth Royal Commission into Antisemitism and that we set clear directions on several key policy areas in tax, industrial relations, energy, national security, and families.
“I welcome the Coalition’s immediate re-adoption of many of these directions and policies in recent days and weeks.
“I thank the people of Farrer for the honour of representing them for the last 25 years.”
