Vic: Result shows country Victorians still want the Nats - Ryan

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Vic: Result shows country Victorians still want the Nats - Ryan

By Adam Morton

MELBOURNE, Dec 1 AAP - Victorian National Party leader Peter Ryan today said the stateelection result showed country Victorians still wanted a party committed to its interests.

Mr Ryan said the Nationals were pleased with the result, which saw it hold on despitea huge swing away from its former coalition partners, the Liberal Party.

He said the VicNats were likely to hold its six lower house seats - Gippsland South,Lowan, Murray Valley, Rodney, Shepparton and Swan Hill - and win Benalla.

Premier Steve Bracks conceded on Saturday night Benalla was expected to be Labor'sonly loss, with National candidate Bill Sykes likely to win back the north-western seatfrom the ALP's Denise Allen on preferences.

"What this result shows is that country Victoria still wants a dedicated party to representit," Mr Ryan said in a statement.

But Mr Ryan acknowledged the Nationals still risked forfeiting official party statusafter losing Western Province and North Eastern Province in the upper house.

The party will need to win North Western Province, where former Fremantle Dockers'AFL coach Damian Drum is battling Labor's Marg Lewis, and win all seven lower house seatsto have the 11 MPs needed to retain official status.

The VicNats had 12 MPs before the election.

Despite the uncertainty, Mr Ryan said he was pleased with the party's vote.

"We risked being caught in the backwash of the large swing away from the Liberals towardLabor, but we have held on against the odds and despite the predictions of the doomsayers,"

he said.

"I firmly believe this election was a further step in the process to rebuild and redefineour party's identity, not just in Victoria but across the country."

The VicNats would act as a watchdog to make sure country Victoria "got its fair share"

under a majority Labor government, he said.

AAP am/jlw/jmd/sb

KEYWORD: POLLVIC NATIONALS