The local branch will elect their executive at an upcoming AGM, who will then select the next president.

Mr Smith said he was spending more time in Melbourne than Ballarat with his business and could not make it to branch meetings as often as he liked.

In his resignation email, Mr Smith said that he was finding it difficult to give the appropriate time required to be an effective president.

“I have been weighing this up for some time,” he wrote.

“Given the growth stage of my business I do not see my circumstances changing in the near future.”

Mr Smith also wrote that he wanted to wait until after the federal election had been completed before announcing his resignation.

“I just thought it was time to pass it on to someone else,” he said.

The resignation comes as Labor prepares to defend its two local seats at next year’s state election, Ballarat West and Ballarat East. 

The Electoral Boundaries Commission will release its electoral redivision later this month, with the likely outcome that both Ballarat seats will change.

Under the proposed boundaries, Sharon Knight’s seat of Ballarat West will become Ballarat and Geoff Howard’s seat of Ballarat East will become Buninyong.

Mr Howard said he will consider his future when the final changes are announced, with his seat potentially losing areas such as Daylesford and Kyneton. 

He said the preselection process would begin for Labor in November, a year out from the 2014 election.

“There will be a number of discussions that take place before we get into that full preselection process,” he said.

tom.cowie@fairfaxmedia.com.au