Nick Minchin resigns from politics

High-profile Liberal party members have paid tribute to former shadow communications minister Nick Minchin after he announced he would not stand for re-election later this year.

Among those to pay tribute were the leader and deputy leader of the opposition as well as the deputy leader of the opposition in the senate Eric Abetz.

Minchin said "recent events involving [his] immediate family" had been a factor in his decision.

"This is a very difficult decision for me to make, but one I have been considering since the Coalition's defeat at the 2007 election," Minchin said in a statement.

"Having served nearly 17 years in the Senate, and having worked in the Party's professional arm for 14 years before that, I consider it is now time to bring my political career to a conclusion."

Minchin presided over the sale of the final tranche of Telstra shares (‘T3') and was a vocal opponent of the Federal Government's decision to cancel the Coalition's OPEL broadband plan in favour of the National Broadband Network.

Minchin had consistently called for a cost-benefit analysis of the NBN proposal.

Ian Macfarlane will act in Minchin's current energy and resources portfolio until a replacement is determined.