A former Labor leader has quit state parliament to focus on campaigning for a crucial federal seat, launching an attack on Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.
Rebecca White, who led the Tasmanian party to three state election losses, on Wednesday announced her resignation from parliament effective immediately.
"The time has come for me to step aside and focus my energy on the upcoming federal election campaign, where I hope to continue my service to our community of Lyons in the Australian parliament," she said in a statement.
The former leader is hoping to replace incumbent Labor MP Brian Mitchell in the federal seat of Lyons, which Labor has held since 2016.
The seat is one of the tightest electorates in the nation, with Labor winning it by a 0.9 per cent margin in 2022.
"There are only 1300 votes that separated it from the Labor party and the Liberal party at the last election, so I know it's going to require my full time effort," she said.
Ms White reiterated her desire to fight for the seat to ensure Anthony Albanese remained prime minister, attacking Mr Dutton's policies.
"Peter Dutton is talking a lot about nuclear energy, which has no place in Tasmania," she said.
"He's talking about undermining the public service, which means cuts to health, to services like Centrelink and Veterans Affairs - that has no place in our country."
After initially indicating she would resign once the election was called, Ms White said she was stepping down now to enable her successor to join the parliament for the first sitting week in March.
"As we get further into this year, it seems that the election could be further away than anticipated, and I think it's really important for the state team to have certainty," she said.
The federal poll is due to be held by May.
Ms White said it had been an honour to represent her constituents in the state parliament and maintained her commitment to the community.
Tasmanian Labor leader Dean Winter praised Ms White's contribution to state politics over the past 15 years.
"The qualities that made Rebecca exceptionally effective in state parliament will continue to serve her community as she officially starts her campaign for the federal seat of Lyons," he said.
"We will miss her, but our loss is Prime Minister Albanese's gain."
Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff commended Ms White for her effective service to her community and wished her well irrespective of the federal election result.
A mother of two, the former Labor leader was first elected in 2010 in the electorate of Lyons after graduating from university six years earlier with a commerce and arts degree.
She took on the role of opposition leader after former leader Bryan Green resigned in 2017.
Ms White stepped down as the party's leader after the party's 2021 state election defeat, but was reinstated three weeks later when her successor David O'Byrne quit over sexual harassment complaints from a decade earlier.
She led the party to a third loss in 2024 before stepping down as leader but remaining in the parliament.
