MP to leave Parliament

CENTRAL Highlands Province MP Graeme Stoney announced last week that he would be leaving politics to pursue other interests after Parliamentary elections at the end of next year.
Mr Stoney, who has been a member of Parliament for 13 years, said he would not seek Liberal preselection for the new Upper House electorate of Northern Province.
During his time in Parliament Mr Stoney has served on the allparty Road Safety Committee for 10 years, and has spent four years as the Upper House Opposition Whip and the Liberal spokesman for forestry.
“I am proud of my contribution to the Liberal Party and to the people of the Central Highlands during both the Kennett Government and Opposition years,” he said.
“I would like to thank my Liberal Parliamentary colleagues for their friendship, my Central Highlands Liberal branches for their guidance, my office staff for their hard work and my family and my wife, Wendy, for their encouragement and support.”
Mr Stoney said he intends to pursue business interests and will continue to be involved with rural issues as well as enjoy some more leisure time when he leaves Parliament in November next year.
“I intend to remain involved with the issues which put me in Parliament in the first place,” he said.
“These include public land access and management and supporting rural Victoria.
“I will also regularly check the numbers of trout in our High Country rivers.”