Roma Britnell
MP
Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
for South-West Coast
Assumed office
31 October 2015
Preceded byDenis Napthine
Personal details
Born
Roma Clare Hussey

(1967-01-17) 17 January 1967
NationalityAustralian
Political partyLiberal Party
Children4
Websiteromabritnell.com.au

Roma Clare Britnell (née Hussey; born 17 January 1967) is an Australian politician. She was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly as a Liberal Party member for South-West Coast, at a by-election in 2015.[1] She was re-elected in 2018 and appointed to the opposition front bench as Shadow Minister for Rural Roads, and Shadow Minister for Ports and Freight.

Britnell attended St Ann's College in Warrnambool, and trained as a nurse at Warrnambool Base Hospital.[2] She worked as a nurse for almost 30 years and spend 15 years working in community health at the Framlingham Aboriginal Community.

Prior to her election, Britnell was the vice-president of United Dairyfarmers of Victoria (UDV), chairwoman of WestVic Dairy and was a Nuffield Farming Scholar in 2011.[3] Britnell also served on a number of boards including the Geoffrey Gardner Foundation, Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority, Australian Dairy Farmers Federation, was Policy Councillor with the Victorian Farmers Federation, was a member of the Great South Coast Group's Economic Pillar and a committee member of the Warrnambool City Council's Food and Agriculture into China project.

She was named Victorian Rural Woman of The Year in 2009[4] and was named Australian Rural Woman of the Year in the same year.[5]

2015 by-election

Britnell was pre-selected by the Liberal Party to contest the by-election to replace the retiring member for South-West Cost, former Premier Denis Napthine.[6]

At the by-election held on 31 October 2015, Britnell obtained 40 per cent of the primary vote and claimed victory after preferences were distributed, winning 60.6 per cent of the two-candidate-preferred vote against perennial candidate Roy Reekie, who secured 39.4 per cent.

2018 Victorian Election

Britnell re-contested the seat for the Liberal Party at the 2018 state election. A total of nine candidates nominated, including incumbent independent member of the Legislative Council for Western Victoria Region, James Purcell, and former mayors of the City of Warrnambool, Kylie Gaston (Australian Labor Party) and Michael Neoh (independent), and former mayor of the Moyne Shire, Jim Doukas (Australian Country Party).

Britnell's primary vote dropped to 32 per cent, with Labor Candidate Kylie Gaston obtaining 24 percent (a 3 percent drop in the Labor vote) and James Purcell obtaining almost 17 per cent.

After the distribution of preferences, Britnell was elected with an 8.66 percent swing on a two-party-preferred basis.[7][8]

Britnell was sworn in for her second term on 19 December.[9]

Shadow minister

On 14 December 2018, the Leader of the Opposition, Michael O'Brien, announced that Britnell had been appointed the Shadow Minister for Rural Roads, and Shadow Minister for Ports and Freight.[10]

References

  1. ↑ WOOLLEY, JARROD (4 November 2015). "Update: Liberals claim win in South West Coast". The Standard. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
  2. ↑ Sinnott, Alex (8 September 2015). "Politics and fashion collide in pre-selection". The Standard. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  3. ↑ Sinnott, Alex (20 September 2015). "Britnell wins Liberal pre-selection for South West Coast". The Standard. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  4. ↑ AUSTIN, PETER J (19 March 2009). "Roma Britnell Vic's rural woman of the year". Stock & Land. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
  5. ↑ "Britnell wins Australian Rural Women's Award". Farm Weekly. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
  6. ↑ SINNOTT, ALEX (20 September 2015). "Britnell wins Liberal SW Coast pre-selection". The Standard. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
  7. ↑ Himmelreich, Everard (10 December 2018). "Britnell declared the winner for South West Coast". The Standard. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  8. ↑ Thomson, Andrew (5 December 2018). "Britnell wins South West Coast by 3.8 per cent". The Standard. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  9. ↑ "State parliament returns to swear in MPs". The Standard. 19 December 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  10. ↑ Thomson, Andrew (14 December 2018). "MP takes over roads, ports and freight opposition portfolios". The Standard. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
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