RECENTLY anointed Victorian National Party parliamentary leader Danny O’Brien has continued his victory tour around the state, and last week his journey brought him to Mildura.
While the Member for South Gippsland was about as far away from his home turf as possible without leaving Victoria, he said he had strong connections to the Sunraysia region though work as a regional journalist.
“I’ve been here lots in the past in lots of different roles and have an understanding of how this community ticks,” Mr O’Brien said.
Mr O’Brien has big shoes to fill, with the previous party head Peter Walsh holding the job for 10 years.
With the Member for Murray Plains set to step down at the 2026 Victorian State election, the new party head had nothing but praise for his old boss.
“I think Peter was an excellent source of stability, and I’d hope I get the same,” Mr O’Brien said.
“Peter’s been a fantastic member for that electorate, and the Nationals have flown the flag there very strongly for a long time in the various iterations of the seat.”
With a traditional Nationals focus on things in rural and regional Victoria like roads, farming, cost of living, and returning a greater share of government spending to areas outside metro Melbourne, Mr O’Brien also said he was looking for issues to put his mark on in the Sunraysia region.
“It’s the sort of thing I get feedback from Jade (Benham) on,” he said.
“Things like transmission lines and renewable energy certainly, but I think probably healthcare here is a big issue.
“But it’s why I’m here today and will be back many times in the coming two years.
“I don’t want to change the world as far as the Nationals go, but I do want to change Victoria because we need rural and regional Victoria back in the frontline.
“But in terms of that the Nationals nothing changes.
“Our reason for being is fighting for rural and regional Victoria. It has been for over a hundred years and has been brilliantly under Peter Walsh’s leadership and I would hope that would continue.
“There’ll be a change in style, I’m a different person, but in terms of what we do it’s wholly and solely focused on stand up for, and being the voice for, regional and rural Victoria, whether that’s Mildura or Mallacoota or wherever in-between.”
With Mr Walsh enjoying stability during his decade long tenure, Mr O’Brien acknowledged a pathway to state government for the Nationals rested in large part with the senior Coalition partner, the Victorian Liberal Party.
“I don’t think we’re limited (by the partnership),” Mr O’Brien said.
“We’ve been able to achieve wonderful things for our communities in Opposition, despite the Labor Government.
“The overall picture of what happens for rural and regional Victorian, and indeed the state, is much easier to influence when you’re in government.
“Yeah, we need our Liberal colleagues to do well, and I think they’re starting to do that.
“There’s plenty of time for us to work with them to provide the alternatives, so I see our role in Opposition as two-fold: hold the government to account, present a viable alternative.”
As part of an agreement with Victorian Liberals, when a sitting member retires, both parties can contest the vacant seat.
That’s more than likely to see a three-way contest in Murray Plains in 2026, but Mr O’Brien said he’s confident the National Party would prevail and hold Mr Walsh’s spot.
“There’ll be three-cornered contests,” he said.
“We had multiple three-cornered contests last election. We won all of them: Mildura, Shepparton, Morwell, Euroa.
“With one or two exceptions just about all the Nats in the party room have been elected in a three-cornered contest.
“We don’t resile from that, it’s not a problem. The Libs can run, we’ll probably run in seats where they’ve got retiring members.”
Yet the same peace agreement with the Liberals that apparently benefits the Nats in three-sided battles will also favour the party when it comes to Mildura.
Unlike in 2022, sitting Member for Mildura Jade Benham will not have the benefit of potential preference flows from the senior Coalition partner.
But if Mr O’Brien’s worried about another challenge from Ali Cupper – who’s been very clear about her plans to run against Ms Benham in 2026, and defeated the previous sitting National Party member in 2018 – he’s not showing it.
“That would be the least of my concerns,” Mr O’Brien said.
“I’m very comfortable with Jade Benham as a very strong voice for Mildura.
“We will always have a contest here, as we do everywhere.
“I’m acutely aware that no seat can be taken for granted, whether it’s Gippsland South, Mildura, or anywhere.”
While hosting Mr O’Brien in the region, Ms Benham was sanguine about her new boss.
“Danny’s been great,” she said. “He’s been a great mentor to me from state council days.
“It’ll be a different style. And he’ll be up here more often than not, or he’ll hear about it.”
