Nepean By-election 2026

The electorate of Nepean covers the western tip of the Mornington Peninsula, extending over 387 square kilometres running south from Foxeys Road at Mount Martha in the north and lying west of Merricks Beach. It includes the bayside communities of Safety Beach, Dromana, McCrae, Rosebud, Tootgarook, Rye, Blairgowrie, Sorrento and Portsea, as well as St Andrews Beach, Cape Schank and Flinders. The electorate includes Arthurs Seat State Park and Point Nepean National Park.

Nepean was first contested at the 2002 election, a new name for an electorate that had been known as Dromana since 1967. The area has traditionally been represented by the Liberal Party, with Labor only holding the district on the election of the Cain government in 1982, and then Labor's upset victory in 2018.

Dromana was held for the Liberal Party 1985-92 by Dr Ronald Wells, who was defeated for pre-election in 1992. Wells instead won and represented Eumemmerring Province in the Legislative Council from 1992 until retiring in 1999.

Wells was succeeded in Dromana by Tony Hyams, but he retired after a single term, and Dromana/Nepean was represented by Martin Dixon from 1996 until his retirement at the 2018 election. Dixon narrowly survived the 2002 Bracks landslide to become the first member for the renamed Nepean. He subsequently increased his majority, but on retirement the buffer was not enough to withstand the swing to Labor in 2018. The election of Labor's Chris Brayne was built on a swing of 15 per cent over two elections.

Former professional tennis player Sam Groth returned the seat to the Liberal fold at the 2022 election, with a 7.1 per cent swing.

Groth was born and raised in regional NSW before moving to Melbourne as a 16 year-old to pursue his dream of being a professional tennis player. He represented Australia at both the Olympic Games and in the Davis Cup, as well as being awarded Australian Tennis' highest honour, the Newcombe Medal in 2015. After retiring from tennis after the Australian Open in 2018, Groth embarked on a media career with the Nine network and as a columnist for News Corporation.

He entered state parliament in 2022, immediately entering the shadow ministry with the youth, tourism, sport and events portfolios. He quit shadow cabinet in December 2024, shortly before John Pesutto was replaced as leader by Brad Battin, and subsequently became the deputy leader of the party.

In 2025 he was the subject of articles in the Herald Sun about the beginning of his relationship with his wife, for which Groth sued the newspaper for defamation. It's understood the parties settled out of court.

Groth was re-elected as deputy leader when Jess Wilson became party leader in November 2025, but quit the position in January and announced he would not contest November's general election. He said he made his decision after realising that public pressure on his family had come from within his own party. He pulled his retirement forward in February, saying he intended to pursue other opportunities.