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 dedicated to their 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 that 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.

"I think on the face of it we have a lot to be proud of," Mr Ryan told AAP.

"We stood the breeze in the face of an enormous swing to the Labor Party.

"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."

Mr Ryan said he was confident the Nationals would retain official party status, despitelosing Western Province and North Eastern Province in the upper house.

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

"We've got to wait now for a couple of days but at the present time I'd rather be whereI am than otherwise," he said.

He ruled out the Nationals reforming a coalition with the Liberal Party to increasethe chance of a conservative government at the next election.

"We're very comfortable with where we are," he said.

"We separated in July 2000 and we've made our own case. I think there's been a lotof work to get here and that's been reflected in this poll."

But he said he felt sympathy for the Liberals, comparing their situation with whatthe Nationals faced after losing the Benalla by-election in May 2000.

"I know exactly how Robert Doyle feels at the moment, I really do," he said.

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/de

KEYWORD: POLLVIC NATIONALS NIGHTLEAD