Liberal MP Teresa Gambaro is not recontesting her Queensland seat at the next federal election.

She is the latest in a number of resignations from the Coalition, including cabinet ministers, former trade minister Andrew Robb and former deputy prime minister Warren Truss.

Ms Gambaro held the seat of Brisbane since 2010 and previously held the seat of Petrie for more than a decade before losing to Labor in 2007.

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In a statement, she said that the time had come to “pursue other opportunities”.

“To the Prime Minister, the Honourable Malcolm Turnbull and the parliamentary team, all the best for the upcoming federal election, and I recognise the exciting vision that he has for our great country,” she said.

“I look forward to working with the new LNP candidate for Brisbane to win this seat for the LNP.”

Ms Gambaro joins a number of retiring Queensland politicians from the Coalition, including Mal Brough, Mr Truss and Bruce Scott.

Former LNP MP Ian Macfarlane is also stepping down.

Ms Gambaro was the first woman of Italian origin to enter the House of Representatives and the first woman elected to the seat of Brisbane, which she took from Labor after three decades.

She spoke to the ABC last year about the need to get women into politics, supporting the idea of a gender target.

She also spoke about the workload that goes with holding a margin seat, having won Brisbane in 2010 by a margin of around 1 per cent.

“They are very, very, very, very difficult seats to hold,” she said.

“There’s a lot of community engagement and there’s a lot of activity required to hold and maintain those seats. So I’m not saying that people in safe seats don’t work hard, but there is a different workload altogether.”

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has responded to the announcement, saying “the Gambaro name is synonymous with hard work”.

In a statement, Mr Turnbull noted Ms Gambaro’s previous roles as parliamentary secretary to the minister for defence, parliamentary secretary to the minister for foreign affairs and trade and later assistant minister to the minister for immigration and citizenship.

“It demonstrates Teresa’s immense resilience and strength that she responded to a defeat at the 2007 election by standing again and being elected to the seat of Brisbane in 2010,” Mr Turnbull said.

-ABC