Throsby MP Jennie George has announced to Parliament this morning that she will retire from politics at the next election.
The former union leader, who has represented the safe Labor seat since 2001, told her parliamentary colleagues just after 9.30am today that she was sad to move on but felt "the time is right".
"It has indeed been a great privilege to represent the people of the Throsby electorate since my first election in 2001," she said.
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Read Jennie George's resignation speech in full
The man most likely to replace Jennie George is ... "My first appointment as a teacher was back in 1969.
"My 40 years in the workforce means that I can retire well satisfied that I have made a contribution to public life in a variety of positions."
Ms George said she had campaigned over the years on a range of issues from dental care and youth unemployment to funding for education and training - a cause close to her heart.
The 62-year-old began her career as a high school teacher, working at Bankstown Girls' School and Queanbeyan High School.
She became a teacher trade unionist before being elected NSW Teachers Federation general secretary from 1980-82.
"We don't always win each case we pursue but we always, always try our best," Ms George said today.
Ms George said she had been sustained by the support of union colleagues in the Illawarra, in particular Andy Gillespie, Garry Keane and Arthur Rorris.
Ms George was a full-time union official for almost 30 years before succeeding Colin Hollis as Throsby MP in 2001.
Born of Russian parents in a displaced persons camp in rural Italy at the end of World War II, she overcame a difficult start to achieve historical status as the first woman elected to the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), the first woman assistant secretary, vice-president and ultimately president of the union.
Her successor as ACTU president, Sharan Burrow, has previously credited Ms George with revolutionising female involvement in trade unions, calling her a "heroine of the union movement".
Public service union chief Stephen Jones has been touted in recent weeks as her potential replacement.
For full coverage and analysis see Friday's Mercury.
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