Julie Bishop: Ex-contender for Australian PM to leave politics

Image copyrightReutersImage captio

Julie Bishop has been a federal MP for two decade

Former Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop, the highest-ranking woman to serve in the two-term government, has announced she is leaving politics.

Ms Bishop had faced months of speculation about her future after losing an internal party ballot to become prime minister last August. The vote handed the job to Scott Morrison.

The upheaval also ended her 11-year tenure as deputy leader of the party.

Ms Bishop said she would not contest the next election, expected in May.

She said it had been an “immense honour” to serve as the Liberal Party's first female deputy leader, as well as her Perth electorate of Curtin for two decades.

“I am also proud of the fact that I am the first woman to contest a leadership ballot of the Liberal Party in its 75-year history,” she told the parliament on Thursday.

Ms Bishop had been on the government's backbench since the leadership turmoil, which was brought on by the ouster of former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.

• Turnbull 'felled by revolts and revenge'

• The rise of Scott Morriso

At the time, WhatsApp group chat messages leaked to Australian television network ABC show Liberal Party colleagues tactically voted against her to stop a victory for Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton.

The Liberal-National coalition government has consistently trailed the Labor opposition in recent opinion polls.