5 June 2026
Late yesterday I informed the Premier that I will not be recontesting the seat of Narre Warren South at the 2026 Victorian State Election.
I have made this decision for various reasons, but do so before the end of a four-year term and before other candidates in my electorate have declared their intention to run.
24 years in the Labour movement; including the last 8 years as an MP in Parliament, has been rewarding. It’s been an honour to represent the electorate of Narre Warren South.
The improvements to public transport, roads, schools, hospitals and our public infrastructure is something that I have taken great pride in delivering to the outer south-east.
I also value the genuine friendships made with the people and organisations within the electorate, who work every day to make our community stronger. This includes our multi-faith and multi-cultural groups, our hard-working school principals and staff, our sport clubs, our health services, our local businesses, our emergency services, our volunteers and our not-for-profits.
I’ve been privileged to be on the Public Account and Estimates Committee, Chair of the Integrity and Oversight Committee, Chair of the Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee and Government Co-Chair of the Workplace Incidents Consultative Committee (WICC).
I am especially grateful to the brave lived-experience members on WICC; their valuable insights are helping shape good government policy for working people; and I thank them.
The role of an MP is rewarding, but it also means a lot of time away from family. I’ve co-parented my daughters Audrey and Harriet as a single father, for the last 12 years. They are my greatest achievement. And I need to continue to be present. Something I am realising even more as they move into adulthood.
I thank the Premier for her leadership, as well as former Premier Daniel Andrews. I thank Greg Sword AM and Tim Kennedy from the former National Union of Workers (now United Workers Union) for giving me a shot. I am so grateful to have led such a strong and robust union; as grateful as only ever being a government MP. I thank my wonderful Narre Warren South community, government colleagues, union colleagues, and all the staff that worked with me through the years including my current Electorate Office Staff – Myles, Stella, Di and Suzanne.
In my Inaugural Speech to Parliament, I reflected upon my experience growing up in Melbourne’s outer south-east as the Australian-born son of Sri Lankan migrants. I spoke about how Labor values – including equity of access, quality public education and strong protections for working people - have helped shape my life. I feel the work I have done in the last eight years has matched my goals as outlined in my Inaugural Speech.
I stand by these Labor values, progressive politics and the rights of every community member to be treated with respect.
In the months ahead I will continue to advocate for my constituents, and I look forward to supporting the next Labor candidate for Narre Warren South.
Time for a reset after November, but until then…back to work.