Collier to quit politics for second time
Only 12 months after winning his old seat back, Labor MP Barry Collier has announced he's quitting NSW politics.
Last October Mr Collier came out of retirement to reclaim his old southern Sydney electorate of Miranda, which he had held from 1999 to 2011.
After a record 27 per cent swing Mr Collier replaced Graham Annesley who quit mid-term to become chief executive of the Gold Coast Titans NRL club.
Mr Collier acknowledges some in the Shire community will be "very disappointed" in his decision not to recontest his seat.
"But I know, in my own heart, it's now time for me to move on and spend more time with my family," Mr Collier said in a statement on Thursday.
The 64-year-old MP said an "extraordinary combination of events" forced him to return to politics in 2013 from retirement, such as the "overdevelopment" of the Shire and Mr Annesley's shock resignation.
He said the election result succeeded in sending a clear message to the government the Shire should never be taken for granted again.
By the time of his retirement in March, Mr Collier will have spent a total of 13 years in parliament.
