POLITICS | DI BARTOK
JULIE Owens, long-serving Federal Labor MP for Parramatta, has announced that she is resigning from Parliament.
Ms Owens, who is in her 18th year of representing Parramatta, will not be contesting the next election, expected to be held early next year.
An immensely popular MP, the Liberals have tried with several different candidates to take the seat from Ms Owens.
Over the years, the federal seat has swung between Liberal and Labor, with a swing of 4.17 pc to the Liberal’s Charles CamenzuliI at the 2019 election.
With rumours flying of Ms Owens’ impending resignation leading up to her official announcement on Friday, Liberal officials are now working on who should be the candidate.
This is amid the Liberals still working out who will be their candidates for the December 4 Parramatta Council election.
In a statement, Ms Owens thanked the people of Parramatta for their ongoing support.
“I am now in my 18th year as Member for Parramatta and I can honestly say I’ve loved every minute of it,” Ms Owens said..
“Parramatta is home to the most fantastic people I have been blessed to meet so many. It has been an honour to represent this diverse and endlessly fascinating community since 2004.
“But the time has come to spend more time with my family, especially my grandchildren.
“My goal in this job has always been to make my community stronger. Because no one is better equipped to solve the problems that we face and build a better future for Parramatta than its community.”
The Parramatta Times will have more details and a profile on Julie Owens in our November edition.
