By Marcus Uhe
Anthony Byrne has announced he will not recontest his seat at the upcoming Federal Election after 22 years as the Federal Member for Holt.
Mr Byrne came to power in a November 1999 by-election and has served a number of roles as a member of Federal Parliament, including Parliamentary Secretary to former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, and the Parliamentary Secretary for Trade.
Most recently he was chair and deputy chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee of Intelligence and Security (PJCIS), a position he resigned from in October 2021 after admitting to branch-stacking and misusing Commonwealth-funded staff as part of an Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) investigation.
In a statement provided to Federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese, he declared that his time working in the area of national security was his “proudest achievement” as a member of Parliament.
“For nearly 20 years I’ve stood and worked alongside the men and women of our incredible intelligence and security services,” Mr Byrne said.
“They have laboured day and night to keep us safe, and I have been fortunate to develop many wonderful friendships with remarkable people in this area.
“I’ve sought to make Australia safer in each of those roles by working with our intelligence and security services and our Parliament to ensure that we created the best security laws, with appropriate oversight mechanisms, and with the resources needed for our services to perform their roles.”
He said he believes “just as deeply in the Labor path now,” as he did when he first joined the Party 35 years ago.
“It has been the greatest honour of my life to serve the people of Holt for over 22 years.
“I can’t thank the Labor Party enough for giving me the opportunity to do so.”
The conclusion of his tenure has been clouded by the IBAC investigation into corruption allegations within the Victorian Labor Party.
In October 2021 he admitted to holding a “kitty” for membership funds in his own electorate office, having paid for other people’s ALP memberships and “multiple hundreds” of membership renewals since the start of his Parliamentary career in 1999, and employing staff who didn’t turn up to work at the request of Victorian South East Metropolitan MP and factional powerbroker Adem Somyurek, which he reluctantly complied to do out of fear of “retribution”.
Mr Byrne said his role in the investigation contributed to his decision to resign.
“One of the reasons I am not recontesting is because of the role I played in assisting the IBAC investigation into allegations of corruption as part of Operation Watts.
“This involved giving public testimony that I knew could have implications for my role in Parliament, but this did not deter me from doing what I knew I needed to do.
“I believe that I have helped protect the Australian Labor Party, which I will continue to be a member of, and to which I owe a debt of gratitude and love.
“The role of our integrity and corruption commissions are essential to our democracy, and I strongly support the creation of such a commission under a future Labor Government.”
Federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese paid tribute to Mr Byrne’s career on Friday 4 March, noting his considerable time spent on the PJCIS.
Mr Albanese said that the decision to not re-contest means that Federal Parliament “will be losing one of its truly dedicated servants.”
“During his more than two decades as the Member for Holt, he has served his constituents, and more broadly, the Australian people, with energy and devotion, guided every step of the way by Labor values and his love for our country,” Mr Albanese said.
“As he prepares to conclude his parliamentary career, Anthony speaks of owing the Australian Labor Party ’a debt of gratitude and love’. The debt is mutual.
“I thank Anthony for all he has done and wish him the best for life’s next chapter.”
