Liberal to trigger by-election with early resignation
The one-time rising Liberal star will force local voters to leave the state parliament and head to the polls.
Victorian MP Sam Groth announced in early January that he would resign as deputy leader of the party and would not seek re-election to the state’s Mornington Peninsula seat of Nepean in November’s state election.
The former tennis star has since decided to pull the pin next week to pursue “other opportunities”, triggering a by-election.
In his statement, Mr. Groth said it was an honor to serve the people of Nepean.
“I am very grateful to my staff for their professionalism, dedication and tireless work in supporting the people of Nepean,” he said.
He wished Opposition Leader Jess Wilson and the party the “best” performance in the November election.
“Most importantly, I thank my family, my wife Britt, and our twin sons for their unwavering love and support.”
Mr Groth has previously declared that internal party infighting and public pressure on his family had become unbearable.
The 38-year-old man and his wife, Brittany, filed a lawsuit with one of Australia’s largest newspapers in November.
Mr Groth sued Melbourne’s Herald Sun newspaper over articles published in late July about when the couple began their relationship.
During the court proceedings it was revealed that a Liberal MP had contacted the outlet with a “gossip”.
Mr Groth was not in the lower house of Victoria’s parliament during question time on Wednesday afternoon.
Prime Minister Jacinta Allan addressed Mr Groth’s decision and thanked Ms Wilson for putting the question to her.
Mr. Groth’s life in politics followed a tennis career that included a world-record fastest serve in 2012 and a career-high ATP singles ranking of 53rd in 2015.
He won back the then extremely marginal seat from Labor in 2022 by a margin of more than six percentage points.
In late January, Liberal stalwart David Southwick won a vote to replace Mr Groth as deputy leader, replacing backbencher Chris Crewther.
