Council & Politics
9 December, 2025
Nationals’ make start on campaign towards government
Nationals MPs and volunteers in yellow campaign shirts were seen in St Arnaud, Maryborough, Ararat and Ballarat doorknocking, hosting listening posts, handing out information and waving signs.
THE Nationals have fired the starting gun on their 2026 State Election campaign, with Leader Danny O’Brien, Deputy Leader Emma Kealy and Shadow Ministers Tim Bull, Tim McCurdy and Melina Bath hitting the ground across the Ripon electorate last week.
Nationals MPs and volunteers in yellow campaign shirts were seen in St Arnaud, Maryborough, Ararat and Ballarat doorknocking, hosting listening posts, handing out information and waving signs.
Their message was clear – regional Victorians deserve better, and it’s time they received their fair share.
Deputy Leader of The Nationals, Emma Kealy, said the reception across the electorate showed a growing appetite for change.
“Whether it’s renewable energy projects and transmission lines, crumbling roads and potholes, increasing crime or the cost of living getting harder, people across Ripon know they aren’t getting their fair share and want a new government that will provide the hope so many desperately need.” Ms Kealy said.
Under the State Government, Victorians are paying an additional $3 billion through the emergency services tax, households and small businesses are being squeezed from every direction, and debt is on track to reach $194 billion – costing Victorians $21 million every single day in interest repayments alone.
Meanwhile, the independent Parliamentary Budget Office has revealed regional Victorians receive just 12 per cent of Labor’s infrastructure spending.
The Nationals say it is clear regional communities are being short-changed.
Current Labor Member for Ripon, Martha Haylett, continued to face criticism from locals for failing to stand up for the community — backing the controversial VicGrid land access laws that permit authorised officers onto private property without consent, supporting increases to the emergency services levy, and allowing the closure of the VicRoads facility in Maryborough.
“Regional communities need a strong local champion who listens, fights for them on Spring Street and stands firm when it matters — not someone who pays lip-service at home and votes with Premier Allan in Parliament – the choice is clear, more of the same with a Labor-Greens government, or a fresh start with the Nationals and Liberals,” Ms Kealy said. “The Nationals are committed to delivering a better, stronger future for regional Victorians — one where their voice is respected, and one where they finally receive their fair share of investment.”
The Nationals have already pledged real cost-of-living relief through the scrapping of five taxes including the emergency services tax, overturning Labor’s land access laws, delivering new crime prevention strategies, and introducing a financial management plan to rein in Labor’s waste.
Read More: St Arnaud