The Honourable
Russell Northe
Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
for Morwell
In office
25 November 2006 – 26 November 2022
Preceded byBrendan Jenkins
Succeeded byMartin Cameron
Personal details
Born (1966-02-06) 6 February 1966
Traralgon, Victoria
Political party
ProfessionBusiness manager
footballer
football coach
Websiterussellnorthe.com.au

Russell John Northe (born 6 February 1966) is an Australian former politician who was a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 2006 until his retirement in 2022.[1] Prior to winning preselection by The Nationals for the seat of Morwell, he was a local Australian rules footballer.[1][2] He resigned from The Nationals in August 2017, and served the rest of his time in office as an independent member of parliament.[3] Following Northe's retirement at the 2022 state election, National member Martin Cameron won Northe's previous seat of Morwell.[4]

Early life and education

Northe was born in Traralgon, Victoria and attended Traralgon High School, completing Year 11 in 1982.[1] In 2006, Northe completed a Certificate IV in Business.[1]

Political and parliamentary career

With repetitive television advertising and campaigning on the issues of workers' rights and bicycle paths, Northe was able to capitalise on divisions within some local branches of the Labor Party to win the seat.[5] Northe doubled the Nationals' primary vote, secured with the aid of Liberal Party and ex-Labor independent preferences.[6]

This win also served to help secure the Nationals' future as a political party in Victoria.[7] Russell Northe joined fellow parliamentarians Peter Ryan and Peter Hall as the Nationals' state parliamentary representatives for Gippsland.

At the 2010 state election, Northe achieved the biggest pro-Coalition swing in the state to transform Morwell into one of the National Party's safest Victorian seats, with a two-party-preferred margin of 16.29% against Labor. Northe won Morwell on the primary vote, polling 56.24% in his own right, and won every polling booth except the small Yallourn North booth, where Labor recorded a narrow majority. With the Liberal/Nationals Coalition winning government, Northe was also appointed as Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business.

In 2014, Northe was elevated to Cabinet as Minister for Energy and Resources and Minister for Small Business. He held those ministerial portfolios until the defeat of the Napthine/Ryan Coalition Government at the 2014 state election. After the election defeat and the resignation of long-serving Nationals leader Peter Ryan, Northe pursued the party deputy leadership, but lost to first-term MP Steph Ryan.[8]

On 28 August 2017, Northe resigned from the National Party due to stress, depression and gambling issues. According to media reports, he had accrued significant debts exceeding $750,000 owed to over thirty local businessmen, friends, constituents party members, and his own parliamentary leader Peter Walsh, partly due to gambling.[3][9][10] Those who were persuaded by Northe to lend him money were said to include former employees in his electorate office and a retrenched power station worker who lost a large portion of his redundancy package.[11] Northe was narrowly re-elected at the 2018 state election, achieving 19.6% of the primary vote, but receiving enough preferences from the Liberal and National Parties to defeat the Labor candidate with a two-party preferred vote of 51.8%.[12] He pledged to be a "conservative independent" member.[13]

In July 2022, Northe announced he would not recontest Morwell at the 2022 Victorian state election.[14] In October 2022, he was charged with 45 offences by Victoria's Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC),[15] and on 25 October 2023, was sentenced to 21 months in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of misconduct in public office.[16]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Parliament of Victoria Parliamentary Handbook
  2. ↑ "2008 Gippsland By-election". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 10 July 2008. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
  3. 1 2 "Nationals MP to quit party over gambling, depression". ABC News. 28 August 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  4. ↑ Green, Antony. "Morwell (*) (Key Seat) - VIC Election 2022". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  5. ↑ Antony Green (2006). "Key Seats by Party and Margin". ABC News Online. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
  6. ↑ "Nationals' resurgence continues in Vic election". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 27 November 2006.
  7. ↑ Guerrera, Orietta (27 November 2006). "Dogged Nationals stare down the doomsayers". The Age. Melbourne.
  8. ↑ "Deputy Ryan a step in the right direction: Member for Morwell". Latrobe Valley Express. 8 December 2014.
  9. ↑ White, Alex (19 February 2018). "Nationals Victorian MP hit up leader for cash". Herald Sun. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  10. ↑ White, Alex (29 November 2019). "MP Russell Northe 'has nothing' after running up $750K in debts". Herald Sun. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  11. ↑ "I'm fit to stand: Northe | Latrobe Valley Express". www.latrobevalleyexpress.com.au. Archived from the original on 23 November 2018.
  12. ↑ "Morwell - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
  13. ↑ "'Conservative independent' Russell Northe reclaims marginal Morwell". The Age. 6 December 2018.
  14. ↑ "'Tired' independent Russell Northe joins list of retiring MPs after 16 years". ABC News. 26 July 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  15. ↑ "MP Russell Northe facing 45 charges by anti-corruption commission". ABC News. 12 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  16. ↑ "Former MP jailed for gambling almost $180,000 of electoral office funds". ABC News. 25 October 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
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