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2 May 2026 [1] | |||
Electoral district of Nepean in the Victorian Legislative Assembly | |||
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A by-election for the electoral district of Nepean in the Victorian Legislative Assembly will be held on 2 May 2026, following the resignation of Liberal Party MP Sam Groth. [2]
Sitting Liberal Party MP Sam Groth resigned from representing the electorate nine months out from the 2026 Victorian state election. Groth had one month earlier stepped down as Deputy Leader of the Victorian Liberals, saying "the public pressure placed on my family in recent months has been significant and realising that some of it came from within my own party has been difficult to ignore [...] when you find yourself having to fight against your own team, it becomes impossible to put those interests first". [3]
The early by-election is estimated to cost taxpayers approximately $2 million. [4]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Sam Groth | 19,614 | 48.1 | +4.0 | |
| Labor | Chris Brayne | 13,308 | 32.6 | −5.3 | |
| Greens | Esther Gleixner | 3,576 | 8.8 | −2.2 | |
| Freedom | Hank Leine | 980 | 2.4 | +2.4 | |
| Animal Justice | Pamela Engelander | 720 | 1.8 | +1.8 | |
| Family First | Janny Dijkman | 638 | 1.6 | +1.6 | |
| Companions and Pets | Jay Miller | 526 | 1.3 | +1.3 | |
| Independent | Elizabeth Woolcock | 495 | 1.2 | +1.2 | |
| Independent | Charelle Ainslie | 449 | 1.1 | +1.1 | |
| Democratic Labour | Cynthia Skruzny | 369 | 0.9 | +0.9 | |
| Independent | Steve Anger | 91 | 0.2 | +0.2 | |
| Total formal votes | 40,766 | 93.7 | −0.9 | ||
| Informal votes | 2,753 | 6.3 | +0.9 | ||
| Turnout | 43,519 | 88.9 | +3.9 | ||
| Two-party-preferred result | |||||
| Liberal | Sam Groth | 22,986 | 56.4 | +7.1 | |
| Labor | Chris Brayne | 17,780 | 43.6 | −7.1 | |
| Liberal gain from Labor | Swing | +7.1 | |||
The by-election is scheduled to be held on 2 May 2026. [1]
According to a Liberal Party source quoted in Mornington Peninsula News Group, there are six candidates for the party preselection, for which applications closed on 16 February. [9] They are Nathan Conroy, who has stood unsuccessfully twice in the federal Division of Dunkley, Briony Camp, who stood in the 2022 election in Hastings, David Burgess, an unsuccessful Legislative Council candidate in 2022, Marty Barr, a former adviser to the Napthine government, as well as Jacquie Blackwell and Alex Screen. [9] Anthony Marsh, the mayor of Mornington Peninsula Shire, has confirmed he has nominated for Liberal preselection. [10] [11] Marsh was given special permission by the Liberal Party state executive to stand as a candidate, as he had only joined the party on 10 February 2026. [10] The Guardian has reported that Bree Ambry, a former Liberal candidate, has also nominated for preselection. [10] The Liberal candidate for the Nepean by-election will be decided by a combined vote of the eighteen members of the state executive and six members of the branch executive in Nepean, rather than by a vote of rank-and-file branch members. [10]
The group Independents for Mornington Peninsula, which planned to stand a candidate at the 2026 state election, is also inviting expressions of interest for a candidate, with Phil Riley, President of Independents for Mornington Peninsula, stating that they will only stand a candidate "if that person reflects the values and priorities of the community". [12]
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