Liberal Party Holds Nepean as Anthony Marsh Secures Victory on the Mornington Peninsula

The Liberal Party has retained the Victorian state seat of Nepean, with former Mornington Shire Council mayor Anthony Marsh set to enter parliament following Saturday’s by‑election. Marsh succeeds former deputy Liberal leader and ex‑tennis professional Sam Groth, who resigned in February.

Election analyst Ben Briggs projected the Liberal win as counting progressed, noting that Marsh’s closest challengers One Nation’s Darren Hercus and independent Tracee Hutchison each held just over 20 per cent of the primary vote. Nepean, an affluent electorate south of Melbourne, has been a Liberal stronghold for nearly four decades, losing the seat only once in that time.

Marsh, who previously served in the air force and runs a small business, entered local government as an independent in 2020. Remarkably, he joined the Liberal Party only weeks before the by‑election but managed to consolidate support across the peninsula.

His victory ensures the Liberals maintain their grip on a seat long considered central to their presence in Victoria’s coastal electorates.