LONG-SERVING Member for Ginninderra Mary Porter has announced she is resigning from the Legislative Assembly effective Friday 19 February.

“When I told the Chief Minister that I would not be seeking re-election in October 2016, I indicated I would use the break over the Christmas/New Year period to decide whether I would see out my full term,” Mary said.

“Unfortunately, it has become obvious during this period that the medical advice I had received was correct, that is a less stressful lifestyle was highly recommended, as no other option was evident.

“This has led me to accept that, as disappointing as it is, I need to retire from fulltime work sooner than I had originally intended. I have always said that one’s role of an MLA is to give 100 per cent of your effort and as I am unable to continue to do that, I believe that now is the right time for me to move on.

“I am pleased that, under the Hare-Clark system, my resignation will not cause any significant cost to the Canberra community, as my replacement will be determined by counting the preferences of those who voted for me number one in 2012, so those who supported me then will also choose my successor, as it were.

“It has been an enormous privilege to serve as a Member for Ginninderra for more than 11 years and I wish to thank all of those who voted to elect me on three successive occasions to be their representative. I hope I have served them well and repaid them for that support.

“Conducting my regular mobile offices around the local shopping centres is something I am well known for and I have missed that contact enormously since I needed to cease them last year. I would encourage all MLAs to conduct mobile offices regularly as a very satisfying way to be available to people to raise issues face-to-face.

“A highlight for me during my time in the Assembly as a local member, was introducing a private members bill to give greater security for people living in retirement villages, as was seeing the continued growth in the use of Restorative Justice processes in the ACT community – a passion I will continue to pursue.

“Advancing the conversation around end-of-life issues is also very important, particularly to older members of our community, and I look forward to continuing that conversation in my retirement. Many will know of my commitment to animal welfare and responsible pet ownership, and have been privileged to work with the members of Pets and Positive Ageing Inc and the ACT Government to make a real difference in this area.

“There are many things that I am proud to have been able to achieve with the community in my role as an MLA and, while I know there will be many who will be disappointed with my decision not to continue in the Assembly, as there is much still to be done of course, I am confident there are a number of outstanding community based candidates who will continue to represent Belconnen residents in the newly drawn boundaries of the electorate of Ginninderra.”