National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and Government Services Minister Bill Shorten has announced he will resign in February to take up a key role at the University of Canberra.
Speaking to reporters in Canberra on Sept. 5, Shorten was joined by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as he made a point about wanting to pivot careers while still young enough to do so.
Shorten is currently in his 50s.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve decided not to seek a seventh term in parliament,” he announced.
Shorten said his journey started more than 30 years ago when he joined the Australian Workers Union, where he believed everyone deserved a fair go.
“Every day, I know how lucky I have been to have the privilege to serve the Australian people,” he said.
“Now, like many people in their 50s, I started to think about what comes next.
“I had a choice—to seek more terms in Parliament or step into a new career while I’m relatively young enough to make that choice.”
In February 2025, Shorten will take on the role of vice-chancellor at the University of Canberra.
“In the end, we’re all just passing through. What matters is whether we leave the place better than we found it,” Shorten told reporters.
Labor Leader From 2013 to 2019
Shorten reflected on his time as party leader from 2013 to 2019.“I had the very amazing privilege of serving as leader of our party and the movement, which has been such an irreplaceable part of my life,” he said.
“Labor is at its best when we are the party of ambition and compassion when we use the power of politics to stand up for those who were denied power by the circumstances of their birth.
“It’s what drives our entire government. It’s what continues to drive me every day.”
Asked whether he believed Labor could win the next election, Shorten said Labor was doing a good job but realised people were “hurting” in the current economy, which has seen high inflation, cost of living, and interest rates.
Shorten praised Albanese for not allowing the country to fall into recession.
“What we are doing is tackling the cost of living, but not in a way that makes a recession or slams the economy into the wall,” he said, echoing a Labor Party talking point against the Liberal-National Coalition.
The Maribyrnong MP also said universities had a “critical role to play” and that “long after minerals,” people would play an important role.
Praise from Albanese
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised Shorten, noting that he had control over his own decision-making.“Bill has control of his own destiny and that’s a great thing,” Albanese said.
“He united the party, he re-energised the caucus, he saw off two prime ministers, and he rebuilt Labor into a strong opposition and a genuine alternative government,” he said.
“Through his years as leader, no one worked harder than Bill.
“No one brought more energy, enthusiasm, ideas and ambition to advocating for the need for a Labor government.”
Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Tony Abbott said his retirement was a loss for Parliament.
“Yes he’ll continue to serve our country in the academia but we need more people of courage and conviction in our public life and Bill has been a striver for the higher things in his time in the parliament,” he wrote on X.
“He was a fierce opponent over the 2014 budget but always acted with integrity and, on national security, always put our country first. Margie and I wish Bill and Chloe all the best for the future.”
Shorten was a key architect behind the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), which continues to be one of the fastest-growing and largest budget items, with the program estimated to cost $61 billion by 2027.
