Victorian Liberal deputy opposition leader Sam Groth says he will not contest the 2026 state election, with veteran upper house MP Wendy Lovell also confirming she will step away after 24 years in parliament.
Citing the strain on his family and internal party strife, Sam Groth, the Liberal MP for Nepean on the Mornington Peninsula, announced on Monday that he had informed Opposition Leader Jess Wilson he would not remain in parliament past the November 2026 election.
Groth made the decision after talking with his wife, Brittany and a great deal of personal thought. He also stated that he realized that some of the public pressure his family had been under in recent months came from within his own party.
Groth’s announcement comes after a period of intense scrutiny that included a defamation case brought against the Herald and Weekly Times over articles published in 2025 about the start of his relationship.
Groth entered state parliament at the 2022 election and rose quickly through the Liberal ranks becoming deputy leader and taking on shadow responsibilities including tourism, sport and major events, trade and investment.
Wilson said she was disappointed Groth would not recontest but acknowledged the personal impact of political life.
Wilson also sought to play down Groth’s reference to internal conflict describing the issues he was alluding to as matters from before her leadership.
The decision leaves the Liberals needing to defend Nepean without a high profile incumbent while also managing questions about the stability of the opposition’s leadership team as it moves into an election year.
Groth has not said publicly whether he will stand aside from his current roles immediately and Wilson told the ABC the arrangements were still being worked through.
On Monday, Deputy Premier Ben Carroll seized on Groth’s comments as evidence of continued division inside the Liberal Party, following a series of public disputes that have dogged the opposition in recent years.
Wendy Lovell, the Liberal Member for Northern Victoria, announced on the same day that she would not run for reelection in 2026, ending her 2002-starting parliamentary career.
Lovell, who represents the sprawling Northern Victoria Region in the Legislative Council, has held senior roles across government and opposition and has served as Deputy President of the upper house since 2018.
She was a cabinet minister in the Baillieu and Napthine governments from 2010 to 2014 including as Minister for Housing and Minister for Children and Early Childhood Development.
In a statement carried by the ABC, Lovell said representing regional Victoria had been the great honour of her life and thanked voters for electing her six times.
Wilson also paid tribute, describing Lovell as a long standing advocate for regional Victorians across jobs, health and education.
With two retirements confirmed on the same day, the Victorian Liberals now face the practical task of selecting successors and rebuilding campaign momentum while trying to keep attention on cost of living pressures and state government performance rather than internal party tensions, ahead of the November election.
