In November 2018, Ali Cupper was elected Member for Mildura in the 59th Victorian Parliament. Ali’s election marked the end of an era for the National Party, which had enjoyed safe seat status in the electorate for 12 years. Ali’s campaign focused on infrastructure, particularly essential services including a publicly-managed public hospital (Mildura has the only privatised public hospital in the State) and passenger rail (Mildura is the largest regional centre in Australia without a passenger rail connection to its capital city). She also focused on reducing the cost of living for rural and regional families, with special measures for reducing rates and supporting children. Ali’s key message was ‘the big parties are failing us’ and it was time for Mildura to ‘change the game’ for its social and economic prospects. Ali referenced success stories from regions like Shepparton and Morwell to make the case that Mildura could leverage more Government attention and investment with a strong independent voice. The message resonated with voters and a swing of more than 8% secured Ali’s win. It was an historic moment, with Ali being the first female elected as Member for Mildura since the electorate was created in 1927.

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