General News
12 February, 2025
PARTING PETE, VETERAN MP WALSH CONFIRMS RETIREMENT DATE
By CHRIS EARL VICTORIAN Parliament veteran and former National Party leader Peter Walsh will retire at the next state election, Mr Walsh, 72, last week confirmed he would end a career in Spring Street that started in 2002 after a four-year stint as...
By CHRIS EARL
VICTORIAN Parliament veteran and former National Party leader Peter Walsh will retire at the next state election,
Mr Walsh, 72, last week confirmed he would end a career in Spring Street that started in 2002 after a four-year stint as Victorian Farmers’ Federation president.
There is already speculation that several high profile local government leaders in the region, including Loddon Mayor Dan Straub, will seek National Party endorsement for the Murray Plains seat held by Mr Walsh with a margin of 23.4 per cent.
But while the Nationals will look for a replacement to the man who was at their helm in Spring Street for a decade until last November and federal leader David Littleproud last week described as one of the party’s most electorally-successful leaders in history, Mr Walsh said there remained work to be done on behalf of Loddon towns before retirement.
The Boort-born former tomato grower said several challenges around Boort and Pyramid Hill were his priority.
“Both towns are such can-do communities which have always punched above their weight, and they will need to keep at it in the year ahead as they work hard to secure their futures,” Mr Walsh said.
“In Pyramid Hill a major step forward would be ‘recycling’ the old Goulburn Murray Water offices and sheds and turn them into a community and tourism asset for the historical society to really spread its wings and offer a much more complete package of the town and the district’s history.
“And still on the subject of recycling, with the closure of St Patrick’s Primary School here is a spectacular opportunity to create a much-needed combined neighbourhood house and childcare centre.
“I have already sought discussions with the Sandhurst Diocese in Bendigo about progressing St Patrick’s in that direction and will keep working with all parties to achieve that.”
Mr Walsh also has GMW in his sights for action in Boort.
He wants the GMW channel adjacent to the Boort Lakes Caravan Park piped “because it is simply too dangerous in its current format”.
The town’s tourism and development committee has been pushing for action from GMW for almost three years, fearing a dangling safety fence over the channel is putting lives at risk.
“We also need to address the red and black tape blocking progress with the levee bank on the east side of the town,” Mr Walsh said of Loddon Shire plans that have been stuck in negotiations with the Bendigo-based Dja Dja Wurrung Corporation.
Talks on a small strip of land beside Lake Boort and the compensation Loddon Shire Council will pay to use the land have stymied stage two of flood mitigation works.
The next state election is on November 28, 2026.