Blackwood endorsed

Liberal Party pre-selection endorsed the sitting member on Saturday, with an overwhelming vote of 121 to 76 in Mr Blackwood’s favour.

His challenger was young Liberal Stephanie Ross, 25, who is well known for her anti-abortion stance.

It is the first time Mr Blackwood has faced pre-selection since he was elected in 2006.

While the party’s constitution allows for a party member to challenge a sitting member, Mr Blackwood said it was unusual, and a challenge he did not have to face in 2010 or 2014.

Mr Blackwood said he would not comment on the internal pre-selection process of the challenge by Ms Ross, which was heavily supported by her partner, controversial Liberal and Brighton branch president Marcus Bastiaan.

“I am rapt that I have been re-endorsed and I will keep working hard for my community and keep representing my community in Parliament.

At 65 Mr Blackwood is the oldest Liberal MP, but he said retirement ahead of next year’s state election was not an option.

“I still feel I can work and represent the community.

“Some people may have thought I was getting too old and maybe that’s why there was a challenge. “But I couldn’t stop and do nothing,” he said. Mr Blackwood said he was confident he would have the numbers to win pre-selection but admitted nothing was certain until the day.

However, an announcement in the week leading up to pre-selection that a Coalition state government would fund a new West Gippsland Hospital may have helped to shoreup the local vote.

Mr Blackwood said his endorsement would help the party to focus its efforts on defeating the Andrews government and delivering projects like a new hospital if elected in 2018.

“But there should also be strong bi-partisan support for that project and I hope the Andrews government comes on board,” he said.

Mr Blackwood said opposition leader had a strong connection with Gippsland and still had family in the area.

He said Mr Guy developed the Plan Melbourne planning document that identified Warragul and Drouin’s populations were set to explode.

“Matthew Guy wants to put the infrastructure in place and help us to cope with the growth and he understand the pressure the West Gippsland Hospital is under,” Mr Blackwood said.