Face of the Day

ACT Party deputy leader Brooke van Velden will leave parliament this year, but she isn’t ruling out a return at some point in the (somewhat distant) future.

Van Velden has been one of ACT’s strongest MPs, both in government and in opposition. While she has been in parliament for six years as an MP, she worked for three years prior as a staffer in David Seymour’s office.

After nine years, she said that was enough (for now).

“I’ve looked at my career and I thought, by the time we get to the 2026 election I will have done nine years of public service. Being 33, that’s a lot,” she said.

She said her reasoning was simple: “I want to try new opportunities.”

Van Velden’s announcement came somewhat out of the blue. The ACT Party called a last-minute press conference on Tuesday morning, which the entire party caucus attended.

Stuff