Julie Bishop turns down big job offer in politics: "I do not want it"
Former foreign minister Julie Bishop has reportedly turned down an offer to be the next South Australian governor.
The former MP, who was born in Adelaide, had been in talks with SA Premier Steven Marshall over the possibility of Ms Bishop replacing the current Governor Hieu Van Le later this year, as reported by The Australian.
Reports show she denied the offer from Mr Marshall because she wanted to “prove herself in the free market,” Ms Bishop’s sister, MaryLou Bishop, said.
“It was spoken about, probably about last September,” MaryLou explained to ABC Radio Adelaide's David Bevan.
“Julie and Steven get on really, really well.
“They started to think 'she's not going to stand again' and started putting out feelers and right from the word go she said, 'I do not want the job'.
“I would have loved her to have been governor. She would have done an amazing job. However, I know why she said 'no', I understand completely.”
MaryLou added: “She's got another career ahead of her, she wants to prove herself in the free market, in private enterprise.”
A statement by the SA government praised both Julie Bishop and governor Van Le, without confirming or denying his possible replacement.
“There’s no doubt Julie Bishop is a great South Australian,” the statement said.
“But his excellency, the Honourable Hieu Van Le, is doing a fantastic job in this important and prestigious role and is well respected across our state and by this government.”