Member for Oxley Melinda Pavey.Credit:Kate Geraghty
“That was a shock because we were doing such great work in the portfolio,we had the support of the stakeholders,we were making a real difference. When that happened it was really hard to accept,” she told theHerald.
“Let’s not pretend politics is an easy career. It’s gruelling and grinding - a tough,brutal existence for men and women. But I’m not cutting and running. This is not retirement,it’s just the next phase. And I’m still in parliament for another six months.”
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Pavey joins fellow Nationals MPs Stephen Bromhead and Chris Gulaptis,who will also not contest next year’s election.
Customer Service and Digital Minister Victor Dominello,Corrections Minister Geoff Lee,former attorney-general Gabrielle Upton and Riverstone MP Kevin Conolly have also announced their decision to bid farewell to Macquarie Street.
In a statement on Sunday Deputy Premier and leader of the Nationals Paul Toole thanked Pavey for 20 years of advocacy on behalf of regional communities across NSW.