Anthony Marsh has won preselection as the Liberal Party candidate for the upcoming Nepean by-election.
News out of Liberal HQ is that Marsh had a clear win against the other candidates in the first round of voting. Out of 19 votes cast, it is understood Marsh received 10 votes, Briony Camp received four votes, Nathan Conroy received three votes, and David Burgess received two votes.
Marsh now has less than ten weeks to campaign for the 2 May poll to elect a replacement for retired MP Sam Groth.
Precedent exists for what will be in store for Marsh, currently Mornington Peninsula Shire mayor, now he has been preselected. Nathan Conroy’s by-election run for Dunkley came when he was mayor of the City of Frankston. He took an unpaid leave of absence during the campaign, handing over the reigns to the deputy mayor, and resuming his position when he was defeated. It is believed Marsh will do the same.
If Marsh is successful in the by-election, he would be required to resign from his councillor role. Such a resignation would trigger a by-election for the ward. The Victorian Electoral Commission rules are that a countback can be held in multi-councillor wards only, and the Mornington Peninsula has moved to single councillor wards.
It is now a matter of beginning to campaign for Marsh, while keeping an eye on who his likely opponents might be.
Long-time Liberal Party member Peter Angelico is believed to be the only other announced candidate, endorsed as the Libertarian candidate for Nepean. Angelico’s Facebook pages states he is the “successful founder of an Australian manufacturing company and 2023 Greater Dandenong Corporate Citizen of the Year”.
The News believes Independents for Mornington Peninsula are still undertaking a candidate search (‘Independents’ fast-track Nepean search, The News 16/2/26), and that Labor appears unlikely to field a candidate with a party insider saying that it is long-held party policy not to contest by-elections in seats they don’t hold.
