WA Labor senator Louise Pratt announces she will step down at next election

West Australian Labor Senator Louise Pratt will retire at the next election. (ABC News: Eliza Borrello)

WA Federal Labor senator Louise Pratt has announced she will retire from federal politics at the next election.

Senator Pratt made the announcement with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at her electorate office in the Perth suburb of Belmont on Tuesday morning.

She will stand down from the Senate, where she serves as the deputy government whip, when her term ends in mid-2025.

Senator Pratt said health issues contributed to her decision.

“I have psoriatic arthritis and it is much better managed when I’m not flying, not chairing estimates and not whipping in the chamber,” she said.

“I did the maths, and since being elected, I have literally spent … three months in the air, 24 hours a day off the ground.”

She told Mr Albanese of her intention to retire about two weeks ago.

Controversial loss

Senator Pratt said making the announcement now allowed her party the chance to find suitable contenders to take over.

“This gives the Labor Party plenty of time to go through the appropriate processes to find a candidate or candidates, because we did after all elect three senators from Western Australia,” she said.

Senator Pratt was first elected to the Federal Senate in 2007, after six years in the WA Legislative Council.

She was defeated at the 2013 election in controversial circumstances, with the High Court ordering a fresh Senate election in WA after more than 1,000 votes were lost during a recount.

But she was elected to the Senate again in 2016, and re-elected in 2019.

The senator served as a shadow assistant minister for a number of portfolios during Labor’s time in opposition.

“When I lost my seat in 2013 … and the prime minister became Tony Abbott, I had really good reason to fight to come back,” she said.

“But I can say now I have absolute confidence in the agenda of Prime Minister Albanese.”

‘An agitator’

Senator Pratt reflected on spending much of her political career campaigning for the rights of members of the LGBTIQA+ community, including supporting the 2017 change to the Marriage Act to allow marriage equality.

She married her partner Rebecca Misich in 2023.

“I have to say, nothing compares to that feeling of changing the law or marriage and then being able to get married,” she said.

Mr Albanese paid tribute to Senator Pratt’s service, and the commitment involved in working in federal politics while based in WA.

“I understand that more so than anywhere else in the country, it’s a big ask to travel across to the east coast,” he said.

“Louise has never been anyone who sat in the Senate just to occupy the seat.

“She’s someone who has been an agitator, someone who has been out there pushing on issues, because she has wanted to make a difference each and every day.”