Labor's Kate Lundy will leave politics at the next election after almost two decades in the Senate, creating a race to fill the safe Senate seat for the ACT.
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She says she has decided the time is right to leave and has not been pressured to go.
"It is becoming a rare luxury to be able to choose your own time of leaving," she told Fairfax on Wednesday night.
"I felt for Gary Humphries and the way he was treated, it was inappropriate and unfair."
Mr Humphries, who is now a Canberra Times columnist, was forced out of the Senate after being defeated for Liberal Party pre-selection by Zed Seselja.
Senator Lundy, who is 47 next month, is expected to pursue a career in technology.
The parliamentary terms of senators representing the ACT and the Northern Territory end at each federal election, unlike the fixed terms of state-based senators.
Senator Lundy worked in the construction industry before entering politics, and was the youngest woman in the federal Labor caucus when she was first elected in 1996.
She was a front-bench member of Kevin Rudd's team before the 2007 election but was not selected as a minister when Labor swept to power.
Later, Julia Gillard appointed Senator Lundy Minister for Sport and also Multicultural Affairs.
Senator Lundy's decision to leave politics was announced at Wednesday night's annual dinner of the ACT Labor Party.
She said she was not annointing a successor to her $195,000-a-year position.
"There are people who I know would be eminently capable but I'll leave it to them to indicate their interest," she said.
Senator Lundy said after she had reflected on her position, she found more reasons to leave than to stay.
"Nearly two decades in politics is long enough for me and I feel that it is the right time for me to pursue other interests; I see it as the start of hopefully my next career, as opposed to retirement, " she said.
"I am very keen to do some work in the technology space which has long been a passion of mine."
Senator Lundy said she was optimistic about federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten's chances of winning the next election, due in late 2016.
In a statement late last night, she said the decision to retire from politics had come after a period of deep reflection.
"I'd like to thank the people of Canberra who have put their faith in me to represent their interests in parliament in the past seven terms," she said.
"I will work with the ACT Labor Party to ensure a smooth transition."
In May, Senator Lundy defended the infamous media conference that exposed criminality and drug use in sport, and triggered unprecedented doping investigations.
She denied the February 2013 announcement – dubbed "the blackest day in Australian sport" – was politically motivated.
"I have absolutely no doubt that Australian sport is in a better place because those issues were aired when they were," she said then.
