NATIONAL Party candidates are likely to contest the upcoming Western District by-elections setting up a showdown between coalition partners.
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With Labor unlikely to contest fresh polls in South West Coast and Polwarth, voters will be denied a highly-anticipated battle between the three major parties.
Three-cornered contests were common-place in Western District elections for a generation with businessman John McGrath winning the Warrnambool electorate for the National Party at the 1985 state election, ousting Liberal MP Adam Kempton.
However, a massive shift in voter sentiment to the Liberal Party occurred at the 1999 state election following Mr McGrath’s retirement.
State Opposition Leader Matthew Guy has welcomed a potential run from the junior Coalition partner.
“There’ll be a lot of nominees in both Polwarth and South West Coast, no doubt about it, and I don’t think anyone would believe otherwise,” Mr Guy said.
“I stand by my comments...there’ll actually be no lay down misere, forget what margins are on paper. By-elections are a completely different ball game. I think they’ll be hard to hold and we’ll need some good candidates there.”
Penshurst barrister David O’Brien was the last National Party candidate to run for South West Coast in 2006, securing 4.2 per cent of the primary vote.
Over in Polwarth, the last National Party candidate to run in the electorate was Brownlow medallist Paul Couch at the 1999 state election against Liberal MP Terry Mulder. Mr Couch won 16.6 per cent of the primary vote to Mr Mulder’s 41 per cent.
Former National Party leader Peter Ryan resigned as Gippsland South MP earlier this year and a byelection was staged. Mr Ryan’s successor as National Party candidate, Danny O’Brien, won the seat.
“The National Party, particularly Peter Walsh and myself have a good relationship, very good relationship,” Mr Guy said.
“Where there is a retirement they have a right to stand. I encourage them to do so simply for their own party membership brand. I think the Nats have said they want to stand and they should
“I very supportive of the parties having a respectful contest like we did in Gippsland South.”
The National Party is yet to settle on a candidate for either seat.
