Nicholls electorate set for three cornered contest

One of the safest conservative seats in the country is shaping up to be a three-cornered contest. Here’s why.

Once the jewel in the National Party crown, the junior Coalition partner is facing a fight to retain its hold on the federal electorate of Nicholls with the departure of Damian Drum.

Former AFL coach Damian Drum returned the seat, formerly known as Murray, into the National Party fold at the 2016 election.

However, the retirement of the former Napthine government minister has opened up the potential for a three-cornered contest between the Nats, the Liberal Party and the nascent rural independent movement.

Darren Chester and Damian Drum during Question Time. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Martin Ollman

Stepping down as chief executive of the Committee for Greater Shepparton last month, Sam Birrell this week confirmed he would stand for National Party preselection.

Mr Birrell is understood to be the favourite in the race to replace Mr Drum as the Nats flag-bearer with former Strathbogie Shire mayor Amanda McClaren and paralympian turned executive Michael Dobbie also potential preselection contenders.

In a statement, Mr Birrell said he had lived in the region most of his life and “care about it deeply.”

“The region has benefited enormously from Federal Government investments and policy initiatives that are the result of hard work and community engagement of the outgoing member Damian Drum,” he said.

Sam Birrell in his role as CEO of the Committee for Greater Shepparton. Picture: Simone Smith

Country Party hero Sir John McEwen held the seat from its 1949 creation, when the Menzies Government came to power, until his 1971 retirement.

Known as ‘Black Jack,’ Sir John briefly served as prime minister following the disappearance of Harold Holt just prior to Christmas 1967 before the Liberal Party selected John Gorton as his successor in January 1968.

Sir John was replaced at a 1971 by-election by Bruce Lloyd, who held Murray for a quarter century until his 1996 retirement, when Pyramid Hill’s Sharman Stone won the seat for the Liberal Party.

In the Liberal preselection race, Yarrawonga-based teacher and farmer Stephen Brooks is the first to nominate.

Baillieu Government adviser Duncan McGauchie won Liberal preselection at the last Lib-Nat race back in 2016, but ultimately lost to Mr Drum in the general election later that year.

In October, Shepparton deputy mayor Rob Priestly announced he would run as an independent candidate.

The Shepparton businessman grew up on dairy farms at Undera and Katandra.

A Voices for Nicholls group is operational in the seat, like most other regional Victorian electorates, but has not endorsed any particular candidate.

Voices for Indi, located in the neighbouring seat covering northeast Victoria, played a key role in the election of independent MPs Cathy McGowan and Helen Haines.