FORMER Bowman MP Andrew Laming claims he has unfinished business at the state government level but has stopped short of commenting on what it means for his political future.
The long-serving coalition backbencher told the Redland City Bulletin that he would "definitely" be helping at the 2024 state election but said his involvement could be in any capacity.
"There is more to do in the Redlands and more to do in Queensland," Mr Laming said.
"I don't have any ambition of being in federal politics, but I think there is plenty more to be done in Queensland.
"For me, the state - having had three decades of mostly one government - is unfinished business.
"I will definitely be helping to see a change of government in 2024, but that could be in any capacity."
Reflecting on his 18-year stint as Bowman MP, Mr Laming said he had no regrets, but conceded he had made the mistake of constantly feeling like he needed to respond on social media.
Last year, he was accused of harassing constituents online, but later withdrew an apology he made in Parliament, saying the allegations were "fabricated".
"It is probably advisable to ignore people who are just derailing debate," Mr Laming said.
"I always had the tendency to have the last word.
"In general, I have been unmoved by criticism from people I don't like or don't respect.
"Criticism from a friend is incredibly wounding, but in the case of social media, it didn't worry me at all."
Mr Laming said Queensland was facing several challenges and it was a good time to take a step away from federal politics.
"Because it [the Queensland Government election] is two and a half years away, I have got one and a half years to go and reboot and see if I enjoy ... taking a break from being a public servant," he said.
"I want to be back to testing myself in the private market, which is something you simply can't do when you're a politician.
"The future going into the Olympics is massive and this is the chance now to devote more of my energy to Redlands."
LNP federal election candidate Henry Pike is the short-priced favourite to replace Mr Laming as Bowman MP at the May 21 election.
The coalition is paying $1.15 to retain the seat, but are $3.65 outsiders to win the election.
Mr Laming said his key to winning Bowman was engaging young voters and he had constantly received strong support from people in the 18-30 age bracket.
"It was a Labor seat for 20 years before I came along. People forget that," Mr Laming said.
"My key was young voters. The general dynamic of voting is that Labor voters lose support as they get older."
Mr Laming said he did not work "terribly well" under any prime ministers, but he most aligned with Scott Morrison's approach to politics.
"If there is any criticism of me, it's that I was under a Liberal flag of convenience," he said.
"In reality, my policies were quite moderate within the party.
"That was a constant challenge to sell them in Canberra because increasingly our party is moving to the right."
Mr Laming said he was "never affected" by the events of last year, where he was also forced to undergo empathy training at the direction of the Prime Minister.
"There is a big silver lining in taking the slower path and the slow-turning wheels of the legal system," he said.
"I'm confident that the results towards the end of this year will fully vindicate me."
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