Former Liberal leader Michael O’Brien to quit parliament

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Former Victorian Liberal leader Michael O’Brien has announced he will leave parliament at next year’s state election after 20 years.

The shadow attorney-general and member for Malvern, in Melbourne’s inner south-east, led the opposition after the 2018 loss until September 2021, during Victoria’s second year of pandemic lockdowns.

Shadow attorney-general Michael O’Brien in 2024.

O’Brien was also treasurer during the Napthine government.

He announced on Tuesday that he had decided to leave on November 26, 2026, the date of the next election. It will be 20 years since he entered parliament in 2006.

“When I gave my maiden speech back in 2006, my daughter was a toddler and my son was a baby in his mum’s arms,” O’Brien said in a statement.

“Today, they are university students making their way in the world. It is a measure of how much time has passed and why it is now the right time for me to pass the baton.”

The Liberal Party opens preselection for all lower house seats next Monday.

Opposition Leader Brad Battin said O’Brien had served Victoria and the Liberal Party with passion, wisdom and dedication.

“For almost 20 years, he has represented the people of Malvern. And his commitment to his local community never wavered even as he assumed greater roles and responsibilities,” Battin said.

“Today, we acknowledge Michael’s record of service. He never compromised his integrity and was always a pleasure to work with.”

Liberal MP David Hodgett, the member for Croydon, announced last month he would not be recontesting the 2026 election.

O’Brien and Hodgett are some of the state Liberal Party’s longest-serving MPs, who have seen only one term in government.

More MPs from both sides of politics are expected to announce their exit in the coming months in the lead-up to the state election.

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