MEMBER for Nepean, Sam Groth, has announced he will not be recontesting his seat at the upcoming November state election, and will stand down as the Deputy Leader of the Opposition next month.
In a statement released on Monday 5 January, Groth said “After many conversations with my wife and with a great deal of personal thought, I have informed the Leader of the Opposition that I have decided that I cannot continue in Parliament beyond the 2026 election”.
“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. Coming to that realisation has forced some very personal reflection.
“I entered public life to serve my community, to represent the Mornington Peninsula, and to stand up for what I believe is in the best interests of Victorians. I have always tried to approach this job with honesty, hard work and a clear focus on the people who put their trust in me.
“But when you find yourself having to fight against your own team, it becomes impossible to put those interests first. That is not the standard I came into public life to accept, and it is not the kind of politics Victorians deserve.
“This has been an extremely challenging period for my family. We took on this role for the right reasons, to contribute to our community and try to make a positive difference. That purpose has never changed, but the environment around it has”.
Groth, a professional tennis player before retiring in 2018, was pre-selected by the Liberal Party for the seat of Nepean before the 2022 state election. Held by Labor’s Chris Brayne since 2018, but with a tenuous 1.82% margin, Groth went on to win the contest, gaining a healthy 7.1% margin in the process.
But the Liberal Party fared terribly in what was considered a referendum on Daniel Andrew’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Holding only 21 seats in the Victorian Legislative Assembly going into the 2022 battle, the Liberals failed to reach even that low bar, holding just 20 of the 88 seats after the 2022 election.
The Victorian Liberal Party has spent much of the time since the 2022 election in disarray, with infighting between factions, and three different leaders since Matthew Guy bowed out after the 2022 election defeat.
Groth assumed the role of Deputy Leader of the Opposition in December 2024 with the rise of Brad Battin as the Opposition leader, and kept the role when Jess Wilson became leader of the opposition in November 2025.
Groth’s term as Deputy Leader has been tumultuous. In May 2025, he was accused of misusing a taxpayer funded vehicle to return home from a fundraiser; a claim he denied. More trouble brewed for Groth in July 2025 when a News Corp masthead published allegations about Groth and his wife Brittany’s relationship. The allegations were strenuously denied by the Groths, resulting in Federal Court proceedings for defamation and serious invasion of privacy. The proceedings resulted in a settlement from News Corp, and an apology from the masthead.
While forward facing, Groth often towed the party line and blamed Labor for much of the muck-raking, it is likely he was aware that many of the leaks and innuendo that had plagued his time as Deputy Opposition Leader originated from his own party; alluded to by his comment about having to “fight against your own team”.
As for Groth, he was not keen to discuss the matter further with the last line of his statement reading “I will not be making any further comment. Over summer, I will take time with my family to consider what comes next and the opportunities ahead.”
Groth will relinquish his deputy leadership role at the next Liberal party room meeting in February.
First published in the Mornington News – 13 January 2026