Victorian Nationals leader Danny O’Brien has declared Bendigo East — the seat of Premier Jacinta Allan — a key target for his party ahead of the 2026 state election, accusing the Labor government of neglecting regional Victoria.
In a wide-ranging interview with the Herald Sun, Mr O’Brien said regional communities have been “used and ignored”, pointing to large metropolitan projects in Melbourne that he says have sucked funding away from country roads, hospitals and essential services. He cited new Parliamentary Budget Office analysis showing that about 82.7 per cent of $127 billion earmarked for infrastructure in 2025–26 goes to metropolitan Melbourne.
“That’s not just unfair — it’s a betrayal,” Mr O’Brien said. “Regional Victoria receives roughly 12 per cent of state infrastructure investment despite representing about 25 per cent of the population.”
The Nationals’ confidence has been buoyed by a strong federal showing this year, when local candidate Andrew Lethlean nearly unseated Labor MP Lisa Chesters — a performance Mr O’Brien says signals shifting political winds. Mr Lethlean is reportedly considering a tilt at state politics.
Mr O’Brien listed a string of grievances he says have driven regional voters away from Labor: rising Emergency Services Levy costs for farmers, deteriorating regional roads, under-investment in rural health, and the collapse of key local industries. He called the cancellation of the Commonwealth Games — originally planned to be hosted across five regional cities — evidence of the government’s readiness to abandon regional commitments when they become difficult.
“The government used regional Victoria for a headline, and then dropped it when things got hard,” he said. “People feel used.”
While outlining his ambitions, Mr O’Brien also stressed the need for a united opposition. He praised new Liberal leader Jess Wilson as “a brilliant MP” and said only a disciplined, cooperative conservative front can realistically take government by winning the roughly 16 seats needed.
“We need to present a credible, united alternative,” he added. “Regional Victoria is crying out for it.”
Mr O’Brien, a former journalist who worked for senior Nationals figures and irrigation groups before entering parliament in 2014, will spend the coming months consolidating regional campaigns and preparing a pitch focused on delivering fairer funding and restoring services outside Melbourne.
