Former Newcastle MP Jodi McKay has resigned from Parliament, four months after stepping down as Labor leader.
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The 52-year-old said she had informed the Speaker of Parliament and new Labor leader Chris Minns of her decision on Sunday.
Ms McKay represented Newcastle from 2007 to 2011 then moved to Sydney and became MP for Strathfield in 2015.
The former NBN television journalist said when she stepped down in May that she had been destabilised from within.
She said some in the party had "never accepted" the outcome of a rank-and-file 2019 ballot, the party's first to elect a leader, that elevated her to the top job above Mr Minns.
McKay supporter and Port Stephens MP Kate Washington said at the time that "foul" and "self-indulgent" forces in the party were guilty of "treachery".
Ms McKay said in a statement on Sunday that the recent COVID-19 lockdown had given her "time to reflect and consider my future".
Her decision means NSW will face at least five by-elections in coming months after the resignations of former Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Deputy Premier John Barilaro, Transport Minister Andrew Constance and Liberal Holsworthy MP Melanie Gibbons.
Ms McKay, who was white-anted by members of her own party before her 2011 election defeat in Newcastle, said she had "witnessed the best and worst in NSW politics".
Former Labor powerbroker Joe Tripodi admitted at an ICAC inquiry in 2014 that he had been part of a smear campaign designed to discredit Ms McKay before the 2011 vote because she opposed a planned new coal loader at Mayfield.
Ms McKay's departure presents a headache for Mr Minns and the party at a time when the government has a new leader and has lost three senior ministers, including two planning to switch to federal politics.
Ms McKay won Strathfield in 2019 by increasing her slender 1.8-point majority to five percentage points.
Mr Minns called on Ms McKay to reconsider her decision.
"Given the precarious nature of the COVID recovery, we'd urge her to reconsider her resignation, stay in Parliament and lead the recovery both in Strathfield and in NSW as a member of the Parliamentary Labor Party," he said in a joint statement with deputy leader Prue Car on Sunday.
"Her skills and standing as a champion of those locked out of economic opportunities, in particular amongst communities in Western Sydney, are exactly what the state needs right now."
Michael Parris
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
