Sep 4, 2026 – 12.00pmOn the morning of January 29, 2025, former assistant treasurer Stephen Jones announced unexpectedly that he would not be contesting the federal election due in May that year.Jones, who had been in Parliament for 15 years, released a statement but gave no reason. When asked why at a later press conference, he said his family “deserves a bit more”.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Phillip CooreyPolitical editorPhillip Coorey is The Australian Financial Review’s political editor based in Canberra. He has covered federal politics since 1998, beginning at The Advertiser before serving as a New York correspondent for News Corp and later as chief political correspondent at The Sydney Morning Herald. A two-time winner of the Paul Lyneham Award for press gallery excellence, he joined the AFR in 2012 and writes the weekly Canberra Observed column. He is a regular commentator on ABC TV’s Insiders program.Fetching latest articles