Yahoo News Health minister Greg Hunt expected to quit politics at 2022 federal election
Hunt has held the seat of Flinders since 2001 and is yet to comment on reports of his potential retirement
Expectations are growing that the health and aged care minister, Greg Hunt, will quit politics at the next election after more than 20 years in federal parliament.
Zoe McKenzie, a former adviser to Andrew Robb and a Mornington Peninsula local, is already being touted as a possible replacement for the relatively safe Liberal seat.
Hunt, who was first elected to the seat of Flinders in November 2001, has declined to comment on a report in the Australian Financial Review on Wednesday of his imminent retirement.
The federal treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, who described Hunt as his “closest friend in this place”, paid tribute to the health minister when asked about his potential departure on Wednesday.
“We are very dear friends and he has been an outstanding health minister through this crisis,” Frydenberg said.
“The fact that Australia has one of the lowest mortality rates in the world, and the fact that we have one of the highest vaccination rates in the world is due in no small part to the incredible work that all health professionals have done across Australia,” he said.
“And Greg as the health minister in this once-in-a-century pandemic has been outstanding.”
Hunt was a parliamentary secretary in the Howard government and was made environment minister in Tony Abbott’s first cabinet before shifting to the Industry and Science portfolio under Malcolm Turnbull.
Hunt took over the health and sports portfolios from Sussan Ley after she was embroiled in an expenses scandal in early 2017, and retained health following the 2019 election.
At the last election, the former Liberal MP Julia Banks announced she would be running against Hunt as an independent in the Mornington Peninsula seat, leading to a small swing against him.
The Liberal party hold Flinders on a 5.6% margin.
