Breaking: Nationals leader eyes lower house as Landry announces retirement

Capricornia MP Michelle Landry announces retirement as Matt Canavan eyes lower house move Capricornia MP Michelle Landry has announced she will retire from federal politics at the next election. Her departure opens the door for Nationals leader Matt Canavan to seek a move from the Senate to the House of Representatives. Ms Landry, who has represented the electorate since 2013, said it was the right time to step aside. "At some stage you've got to take care of yourself and I thought, 'Now's the time to do it,'" she said on Friday afternoon. "I'm the first conservative to hold this seat more than once … it's been a seat that we've worked hard and fought hard for." Ms Landry won the former Labor stronghold with a 4.5 per cent swing to the LNP and held multiple assistant minister roles under Scott Morrison. The 90,000-square-kilometre seat encompasses Rockhampton, the Capricorn Coast and portions of the Bowen Basin. The five-term MP said she was proud of her achievements, which included securing funding for the Rookwood Weir and the Rockhampton Hospital car park. "I stand by my record of over six billion dollars in … projects for the region," Ms Landry said. She said she would be committed to delivering for the region for the rest of her term, including working to bring international flights to Rockhampton Airport ahead of the 2032 Olympics. Senator Canavan said Ms Landry had been a strong advocate for the region under multiple governments. "Michelle gets into more fights than Mike Tyson down there in Canberra, she's just always fighting for things," he said. "Like a good title fighter, she's never been knocked out. "She's been the glue that's held our party together." Loading