Nationals

Status & organisation

The party is registered as “National Party of Australia – Victoria”. It registered on 26 March 1985 and re-registered on 14 November 2024, with Jake McKenzie-Edwards as registered officer VEC . The leader is Danny O’Brien (Gippsland South), in the job since November 2024, and Gaelle Broad is deputy leader in the Council. The Nationals hold 9 Assembly and 2 Council seats, their best lower-house result since 1943 Guardian .

Current position

One Nation is “100% our biggest threat,” says Mildura MP Jade Benham. “It’s not even about the candidate… It’s the brand now.” O’Brien says “There are no safe seats” Guardian . Samaras of Redbridge calls the Victorian Nationals brand the “strongest in the country” and says they are “well-poised to defend” Guardian . Labor’s leaked June internal polling suggested a Nationals wipeout. A Trades Hall poll showed at least three Nationals seats falling to One Nation Guardian .

Policy platform

The centrepiece is the “Fair Share Guarantee — 25% of the people, 25% of the funding”, which would lock at least 25% of new infrastructure spending into the regions. The party promises $5bn over four years for road maintenance and 3,000 new police, half of them experienced recruits from the UK, Ireland and New Zealand. It backs “Break Bail, Face Jail” and “Adult Crime, Adult Time”. It would abolish first-home stamp duty up to $1m and restore the $300k land tax threshold. It would lift the payroll threshold from $1m to $1.2m and cut the metro rate to 4.8%. It would scrap the Emergency Services Tax and return to the Fire Services Property Levy, reverse the gas ban and pause the Suburban Rail Loop. It also wants a royal commission into the CFMEU, RICO-style organised-crime laws and Jack’s Law knife scans Nationals .

Targets

The party is contesting Bendigo East, where publican Andrew Lethlean is standing after Allan’s exit. It is also contesting Bendigo West (David Hutchings) and Ripon (Jo Armstrong) GuardianABC . Walsh (Murray Plains), Bull (Gippsland East) and O’Keeffe (Shepparton) are retiring.

Policy record

Standalone file: Nationals — both joint booklets (Our Plan for Regional Victoria, Our Ten Year Plan), the live policies page, and the commitments the Nationals publish that the Liberals do not (First Nations Victoria, RICO laws, civil-liberties package, rural health workforce, Country Roads and Bridges, firearms). Cross-party comparison is on the front page.

Provenance caution

The party site is live at vic.nationals.org.au (an earlier revision of this note recorded it as unreachable). Its news archive republishes federal Nationals MPs’ releases — Webster, Chester, McKenzie, Canavan — so searches for firearms, nuclear or net-zero return mostly federal material. Filter by MP before attributing anything to the state platform.