Legislative Assembly · District of Nepean
Anthony Marsh
Last verified 30 Sept 2026
Seat context — Nepean›
Nepean is a Liberal-held Mornington Peninsula seat that had an eventful year. Sam Groth, who won it in 2022 with 48.1% of first preferences and 56.4% two-party-preferred against Labor's Chris Brayne, resigned on 13 February 2026 citing public pressure on his family during a defamation dispute. At the 2 May 2026 by-election, which Labor did not contest, the Liberals' Anthony Marsh won with 38.7% of first preferences and 63.2% to 36.8% against independent Tracee Hutchison; One Nation's Darren Hercus polled 24.5% and the Greens' Sianan Healy 9.4%. The 2026 field so far is four candidates: Marsh, Hercus, Healy and Family First's Mike Brown; no Labor candidate is listed and Hutchison does not appear on The Tally Room's list. The Tally Room says the Liberals are favourites to retain the seat.
Background
Says he graduated in aerospace engineering, served as a Royal Australian Air Force officer, and holds a Private Pilot Licence. SSelf-stated — LIBV-ANTHONY-MARSHLiberal Victoria, "Anthony Marsh — Liberal candidate profile" (21 May 2026)View source
Says he spent more than a decade building businesses in drone technology and aerial mapping, and is a self-taught software developer. SSelf-stated — LIBV-ANTHONY-MARSHLiberal Victoria, "Anthony Marsh — Liberal candidate profile" (21 May 2026)View source
Was elected to Mornington Peninsula Shire in 2020 for Briars Ward and served as Mayor in November 2021 to November 2022 and November 2024 to May 2026. RReported — WIKI-MARSHWikipedia, "Anthony Marsh (Australian politician)"View source
In December 2020 he proposed replacing the Christian prayer before council meetings with a secular pledge, which passed 6-5. RReported — WIKI-MARSHWikipedia, "Anthony Marsh (Australian politician)"View source
Says he was elected to Mornington Peninsula Shire in 2020 and served as Mayor on three occasions. SSelf-stated — LIBV-ANTHONY-MARSHLiberal Victoria, "Anthony Marsh — Liberal candidate profile" (21 May 2026)View source
Says he volunteered with emergency services, community organisations and sporting clubs before entering local government. SSelf-stated — LIBV-ANTHONY-MARSHLiberal Victoria, "Anthony Marsh — Liberal candidate profile" (21 May 2026)View source
His electorate office is at 2333 Point Nepean Road, Rye. VVerified — PARL-MARSHParliament of Victoria, "Anthony Marsh — Member profile"View source
Represented the Briars Ward on the Mornington Peninsula for six years. RReported — WIKI-MARSHWikipedia, "Anthony Marsh (Australian politician)"View source
Says he lives on the Mornington Peninsula. SSelf-stated — LIBV-ANTHONY-MARSHLiberal Victoria, "Anthony Marsh — Liberal candidate profile" (21 May 2026)View source
Platform
Where they stand, issue by issue — grounded in 2026 Victorian polling, not assumed. Every position is tagged with how we know it.
The Rosebud Hospital rebuild ($340 million pledged with Jess Wilson) was the headline commitment of his by-election campaign.
Names local healthcare, community safety, local infrastructure and supporting local business as priorities.
What Victorians say matters most
5 poll-led issuesCost of living and crime have ranked 1st or 2nd in every Victorian poll since mid‑2025, with debt and housing close behind — see schema §3 for the polling this grouping is based on (DemosAU, Ipsos Issues Monitor, Roy Morgan). The 0-10 'priorityScore' on each candidate's issue entries is NOT a measure of true importance or an independent ranking of what a candidate actually cares about. It reflects how much detail and specificity exists in what that candidate has actually said publicly on that issue -- a named policy mechanism and a verified voting record score higher than a one-line stated priority, regardless of the issue's real-world weight. Render this distinction in the UI wherever the score appears; do not label it just 'Priority' without the qualifier.
Cost of living
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Crime and community safety
The Coalition's bail and sentencing policy, per the ABC, would automatically deny bail to reoffenders under a one-strike rule; nothing is attributed to Marsh personally.
Housing affordability and supply
The Coalition would lift the first-home buyer threshold to remove stamp duty on homes up to $1 million, per a housing-policy comparison; nothing is attributed to Marsh personally.
State government debt and fiscal management
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
During the by-election campaign a video of him and Jess Wilson filling a pothole in Dromana drew an investigation by the Department of Transport and Planning.
Also on the record
6 substance issuesThese don't top “biggest issue” polling, but carry real 2026 policy weight and genuine differences between parties.
Education and training
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Health and healthcare access
He and Jess Wilson pledged $340 million to rebuild the Rosebud Hospital during the by-election campaign.
Urban planning and housing density
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Climate and energy transition
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Regional and rural Victoria
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Local & party context
2 fieldsNot scored the way the eleven issues above are — these are fixed facts about the seat and the party, not positions with more or less emphasis behind them.
Marsh joined the Liberal Party on 10 February 2026 with an exception to the usual membership period, and was preselected by a vote of 24 executives rather than the rank and file, which drew internal criticism. RReported — WIKI-MARSH, WIKI-NEP-BYEWikipedia, "Anthony Marsh (Australian politician)"View sourceWikipedia, "2026 Nepean state by-election"View source
No personal policy statements beyond the campaign pledges were found, so most issues are left empty.
Track record & prior candidacies
Member for Nepean since 2 May 2026; delivered his inaugural speech on 17 June 2026. VVerified — PARL-MARSHParliament of Victoria, "Anthony Marsh — Member profile"View source
Mornington Peninsula Shire councillor from 2020. RReported — WIKI-MARSHWikipedia, "Anthony Marsh (Australian politician)"View source
Won the 2 May 2026 by-election, retaining the seat for the Liberals after Labor chose not to contest. RReported — WIKI-NEP-BYEWikipedia, "2026 Nepean state by-election"View source
A campaign video of a pothole repair in Dromana was referred to the Department of Transport and Planning. RReported — WIKI-MARSHWikipedia, "Anthony Marsh (Australian politician)"View source
Won the 2 May 2026 Nepean by-election with 15,682 votes (38.7%), and 63.2% to 36.8% against independent Tracee Hutchison after preferences. VVerified — WIKI-NEP-BYEWikipedia, "2026 Nepean state by-election"View source
He is not among the candidates in the 2018 or 2022 Nepean results; the Liberals' candidates were Russell Joseph (43.9%) and Sam Groth (48.1%). VVerified — WIKI-NEP-RESWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Nepean"View source
Campaign, money & endorsements
Campaign logistics
Endorsements & Donations
Per the Victorian Electoral Commission's funding guidance (vec.vic.gov.au, accessed 2026-09-29 via search snippets of its independent-candidate and registered-party funding pages), a candidate is eligible for public election funding if they receive at least 4% of first-preference votes in their contest, or are elected. Funding is reimbursed against an audited statement of campaign expenditure, and advance funding must be repaid in full if the threshold is missed.
As the winner of the May 2026 by-election, Marsh met the "elected" limb of the test for that contest; for the November general election a fresh result determines funding. The Liberals' 2022 Nepean candidate polled 48.1%.