Mr Hayes,whose seat is held with a margin of more than 17 per cent,has suffered a series of health issues in the past four years and last yearcollapsed in Parliament and was admitted to hospital.
In 2017 he spent 15 days in Canberra Hospital after suffering several broken ribs,a broken arm and internal injuries following a motorcycle crash.
“After 16 years,I think it’s time to pull the pin,” he told reporters.
“I unfortunately had a rather neglectful motorcycle accident a couple of years ago and spent a lot of time in Canberra Hospital. And I had a pretty well-publicised incident in the Parliament last year. So I do have a couple of health issues and I do need to go back to hospital to have further corrections. I feel that I am slowing down.”
Mr Hayes is supporting Tu Le,the daughter of refugees who works at the Migrant Employment Legal Service,which advocates for exploited migrant workers in NSW.
There has been speculation the safe seat will be hotly contested,with senior NSW Right factional figures already discussing a replacement.