By KERRI-ANNE MESNER
FORMER State Government minister and local Kororoit MP Andre Haermeyer has quit politics after 16 years, forcing a by-election later this month.
The 52-year-old former police minister telephoned Premier John Brumby on Sunday to inform him of his decision to leave Parliament, effective immediately, after a distinguished and colourful career.
At a hastily arranged press conference yesterday, Mr Haermeyer attributed his decision to quit to the death of his mother at the end of last year.
“The passing of my mother has caused me to view life somewhat differently,” Mr Haermeyer said.
“In the immediate future I plan to take some time off, smell the roses, to reacquaint myself with my wife Tonya and to spend some time with my elderly father and my sister who live in Queensland.”
During a colourful ministerial career, Mr Haermeyer held the key portfolio of Police and Emergency Services and Corrections from 1999 to 2005 before being replaced by Tim Holding.
In a portfolio reshuffle, then Premier Steve Bracks gave Mr Haermeyer the less prominent economic ministerial portfolios of Manufacturing and Export, Financial Services and Small Business.
He lost his place in the ministry at the 2006 state election.
Mr Haermeyer has remained a strong and vocal supporter of Melbourne’s western suburbs.
“The West deserves and needs a new local champion who will not only have a vision for this electorate and for the West for the next decade and beyond, but also a commitment, energy and the ability to see that vision through,” he said.
“I do not feel that I am able to make that long-term commitment.”
He was first elected to the Parliament in the seat of Yan Yean in 1992. He became the Member for Kororoit after a redistribution in 2002.
He served on the Parliamentary Public Bodies Review Committee from 1992 to 1994, and the Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee from 1994 to 1999.
He was also Opposition Police and Emergency Services spokesman from 1993, before being becoming a minister in the first Bracks Government in 1999.
“I have no aspirations to becoming father of the house… while Ken Jasper and George Seitz are around, what hope has anyone else?” he said.
Mr Haermeyer said Melbourne’s western suburbs was the fastest growing region in the state and arguably the nation.
“That brings with it major new challenges – growing pressure on road and rail infrastructure, the need to upgrade educational and health services and infrastructure to keep pace with rapidly growing needs as well as the need to ensure that the disadvantaged are not left behind,” he said.
He said one of the key challenges facing his successor would be to ensure recommendations in Sir Rod Eddington’s transport report were embraced and “not allowed to be torpedoed by the vocal inner-city elites”.
“The West needs an alternative to the West Gate Bridge and it needs improved rail services. Neither of these are possible without the road and rail tunnel that Eddington has recommended,” he said.
Mr Haermeyer was disappointed when forced to the backbench after the last state election.
A colourful parliamentary character, Mr Haermeyer will be remembered for his time in charge of police and emergency services, where he oversaw a Labor commitment to increase police by more than 1400 after numbers fell sharply under the Kennett Government.
A strong supporter of police, Mr Haermeyer was never far from controversy. His comments relating to police records of political opponents eventually led to an Ombudsman inquiry into the inappropriate access of sensitive information of the Victoria Police LEAP (Law Enforcement Assistance Program) database.
Before entering politics, Mr Haermeyer was managing partner of the family hotel business and research officer to federal ALP politicians Senator Robert Ray and Ralph Willis.
He was also the ALP State organiser from 1989–1992. Mr Haermeyer was born in Germany in 1956 and is married to Ms Tonya Stevens.
He is the No. 1 ticket holder at a range of local sporting clubs including Green Gully Soccer Club and the Deer Park Football Club.
The by-election will be held on 28 June.
