Mr McClelland will retire at the next federal election.His seat of Barton covers Kogarah in Southern Sydney, a seat he has held since 1996.

Mr McClelland served as Attorney-General under Kevin Rudd's government from 2007 and continued in the role in the early days of Ms Gillard’s leadership.

However, Ms Gillard moved Mr McClelland into emergency management in 2011.

Mr McClelland backed former prime Mr Rudd in the February 2012 leadership ballot against Ms Gillard. Soon afterwards, Ms Gillard dumped him from the Cabinet.

At the time, Mr McClelland said when Ms Gillard phoned to advise him of his removal from cabinet she indicated he had gone ''further in public statements than others n my advocacy for Kevin Rudd''.

In March 2012, Mr McClelland announced he would remain in politics despite being demoted and his emergency management role given to Attorney-General Nicola Roxon.

Fairfax Media reported that the time that Labor party figures were concerned Mr McClelland was preparing to announce his immediate resignation and force a by-election, a dire situation for the minority Gillard government.

Last year he insisted he intended to continue as a backbencher and seek preselection for his seat of Barton in the 2013 election.