Former federal Liberal candidate for McEwen Richard Welch has won Liberal preselection in the North-Eastern Metropolitan region and will now serve as a state upper house member.
He replaces Matthew Bach, a former senior shadow cabinet member, who resigned after four years as an MP.
Mr Welch was successful in the preselection over nine nominees.
The North-Eastern Metropolitan Region comprises 11 districts, including the lower house electorates of Mill Park and Bundoora.
Mr Welch is no stranger to the region after standing for the Liberals in the federal seat of McEwen in 2019, losing to Labor’s Rob Mitchell.
He then stood as the Liberal candidate for Yan Yean at last year’s state election – where he lost to Labor’s Lauren Kathage but achieved a 6.2 primary swing and a 12.7 per cent two-party swing.
After the federal election, Mr Welch took a break from politics but felt the need to come back. He told The Review he had a ‘sense of unfinished business’.
Opposition leader John Pesutto congratulated Mr Welch on his preselection.
“Richard has been a dedicated Liberal in Melbourne’s north-east for a number of years, including running as our federal candidate for McEwen and state candidate for Yan Yean,” he said.
“Richard will be a fantastic addition to our parliamentary team as we continue to hold a tired and incompetent Labor government to account while presenting our alternative vision for Victorians in the lead up to the 2026 State Election.”
