Kyle McGinn: Upper House MP confirms end of political career after losing federal bid

A State Labor MP who failed in a bid to shift to federal politics through the new seat of Bullwinkel has revealed he will retire after being unable to “walk the factional tightrope” to secure his future. Kyle McGinn, a two-term Upper House MP, took to social media on Wednesday to express his disappointment over the “manoeuvres“ that saw him miss out on the bid for federal preselection for Bullwinkel. Mr McGinn, who described himself as an “accidental pollie” said his time as an MP would be coming to an end in May. “Sadly, I was unable to secure pre-selection on the Labor Party ticket in the upper house,” he said. “Whilst I feel I have given 100 per cent in being a member of parliament I haven’t been able to walk the factional tightrope with party politics which led me to not securing a winnable position on the ticket. “I was then presented with an opportunity to represent Western Australians on the Federal stage but ultimately the Labor Party went in a different direction. “While I am disappointed with the manoeuvres that resulted in this outcome I will not let it distract me from doing my job for the people in my region and making sure their voices continue to be heard.” Mr McGinn — a member of the vast Mining and Pastoral Region — was appointed a parliamentary secretary after the 2021 State election. First elected aged 29 in 2017, Mr McGinn drove Labor’s victorious campaign to win the seat of Kalgoorlie in 2021, after setting up his office there. But during complex internal Labor Party factional bartering for the new Statewide Upper House electorate, Mr McGinn failed to secure a winnable spot on the ticket. He now joins more than a dozen State Labor MPs leaving politics at the next election. The comments came as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Shire of Mundaring deputy president Trish Cook as the Government’s candidate for the notionally Labor seat. At a press conference on Wednesday, Mr Albanese described Cr Cook as bringing “a wealth of experience and commitment to this local community” “I’m certain that she will be such a strong advocate for the people of Bullwinkel,” he said. The new seat of Bullwinkel, which includes Northam, York and Beverley, stretches as far west into the metropolitan area as Mundaring, Kalamunda, Forrestfield and High Wycombe and has a notional Labor margin of 3 per cent.