Key Points
- Brett Sutton has stepped down as Victoria's Chief Health Officer.
- He led the state's pandemic response.
- Many other pandemic leaders have been stepping down.
Brett Sutton became an unlikely viral sensation during the COVID-19 pandemic, but he has joined a wave of leaders to the global disease response stepping down from their roles.
Professor Sutton became Victoria's chief health officer in 2019 and spearheaded the state's policy on coronavirus, appearing on television daily and gaining fans that dedicated calendars, mugs and book clubs to his image.
Premier Daniel Andrews on Friday thanked Professor Sutton for his service with the Department of Health over the last 12 years.
At times, he was marred by controversy, particularly after Melbourne had one of the world's longest lockdowns, which he maintains was necessary.
Is exhaustion a factor in resignations?
Professor Sutton will take up a new role as director of health and biosecurity at CSIRO, Australia's national science agency.
He joins the growing list of officials who led the pandemic response, including daily COVID-19 press briefings and have now stepped down.
Last week, Mark McGowan after six years in the role, citing sheer exhaustion as a factor in the decision.
The Labor leader was re-elected as premier in 2021 with the largest election victory in the state's history.
He said he had not lined up another job but plans to take up some other role.
"I will see what the future holds," Mr McGowan said.
"I don't want to finish work completely. Once I am rested and recuperated, I will look for something else to do."
In May 2022, former Northern Territory chief minister also citing exhaustion from leading during COVID. In November 2021, he revealed his family had become the target of death threats from anti-vaxxers.
He has taken up a role with Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest's renewable energy operations, Fortescue Future Industries (FFI).
In September 2021, Gladys Berejiklian after it was revealed she was being investigated by the Independent Commission Against Corruption for a "breach of public trust" between 2012 and 2018.
She went into the private sector, taking on an executive role with Optus, Australia's second-largest telecommunications company, in February 2022.
World leaders step down from roles
Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern received one of the country's highest honours, a Dame Grand Companion, in King Charles III's Birthday Honours.
The award recognised her leadership during the pandemic and also after the 2019 Christchurch mass shootings at two mosques.
The mother-of-one has taken up two new roles. She is the inaugural Special Envoy to the Christchurch Call initiative that aims to get rid of extremist content from the internet. She is also on the board of Prince William's climate change charity, Earthshot Prize.
In November last year, former US president Donald Trump confirmed he would run for president again in 2024. But there have been legal setbacks. In March, he became the allegedly concealing hush money paid to a porn star.
He is also now embroiled in several investigations relating to his 2020 election defeat and his handling of top-secret documents.
In July 2022, Boris Johnson resigned as UK prime minister and leader of the Conservative Party after more than 50 MPs resigned, citing a lack of confidence in his leadership.
He is awaiting the final determination of a year-long inquiry into whether he deliberately misled MPs over the Partygate scandal when staff attended parties at Downing Street in defiance of COVID laws.
With additional reporting by AAP.
