Telstra’s outspoken public policy chief Phil Burgess is leaving the company at the end of the month, citing family reasons.

Burgess has been group managing director, public policy & communications, since July 2005. He will be replaced by David Quilty, who has been Telstra's director of government relations since January 2006.

According to the company, Burgess will return to his home in the US to support his wife as she looks after her sick mother.

According to a Telstra statement, Burgess will “resume his life as an advisor to business and government on matters related to technology and society, a life he put on hold to join Sol Trujillo and Telstra three years ago”.

Burgess still managed to offer some trademark parting words.

"Though we were criticised by some, our new approach achieved important results, including safeguarding new investments like NextG and ADSL2+ from value-destroying regulation, winding back regulation on more than four million copper telephone lines, and the reversal of a $1 billion taxpayer gift to SingTel-Optus," he said.