By Joseph Olbrycht,Joseph Olbrycht-Palmer

Copyright thewest

Wayne Swan will step down as Labor’s national president next year, closing the curtain on a decades-long career that has shaped 21st century Australian politics.

The Labor heavyweight took up the presidency in 2018 and was crucial to Labor’s winning election strategies in 2022 and 2025.

Mr Swan revealed on Friday he would step down at the party’s national conference in Adelaide next July, telling The Australian it was time for a “younger president to continue the vital work of lifting party membership, activism and involvement”.

He steered Australia through the Global Financial Crisis in 2008 as treasurer to then-prime minister Kevin Rudd.

Averting a recession while peer economies tumbled, his handling of the GFC earned him acclaim both at home and abroad.

More to come