The party is set to gain three lower house seats, but its leader Peter Walsh, who romped back in as the Member for Murray Plains, said the result was bittersweet.
“Obviously a very good result for the Nationals, but not quite so good for our coalition colleagues,” Mr Walsh said.
The Liberals failed to sway voters in metropolitan Melbourne and even lost heartland seats in the city’s east.
But outside the major regional cities, country Victoria’s electoral map was awash with dark green and blue as the votes poured in on Saturday night.
“There was a clear message from country Victoria and I would hope the Andrews Labor government have heard that message that they need to govern for all Victoria,” Mr Walsh said.
Access to healthcare, pandemic lockdowns and the state of Victorian roads were key issues for candidates who swung the country vote.
Monash University politics lecturer Zareh Ghazarian said the perception of Labor and the Liberals being metro-focused helped.
“That gave the Nationals some political oxygen and some political platforms that they could then really use to their advantage,” Dr Ghazarian said.
“They did it very effectively by presenting themselves as champions for those local areas.”
Kim O'Keefe overcame two-term independent Suzanna Sheed in the seat of Shepparton and the former mayor echoed sentiments of regional Victoria being ignored.
“As part of a strong Nationals team I will ensure regional and rural Victoria isn’t overlooked by the Andrews Labor Government,” Ms O’Keefe said.
In the coal country seat of Morwell in south-east Victoria plumber and first-time Nationals candidate Martin Cameron finished on top.
As of December 5, Mildura was still counted as a close seat, but Nationals candidate Jade Benham was leading independent incumbent Ali Cupper.
Ms Cupper increased her primary vote at this year’s election, but suffered weaker preference flows from Labor, which saw its primary vote plummet from 17 per cent in 2018 to slightly above six per cent this year.
While the Liberals failed to capture the imagination of metropolitan Melbourne, long-time incumbent Benambra MP Bill Tilley held on to his seat.
The Nationals also retained the seat of Euroa with Annabelle Cleeland replacing Steph Ryan, who announced she was retiring before the election, and Ovens Valley MP Tim McCurdy easily held on to his seat.
The Victorian Government said it was doing what mattered for regional Victoria, investing in schools, health and transport, including plans to cap V-Line regional train fares at metro rates.
“We have put forward a positive and optimistic plan for every Victorian in every seat which was endorsed at the election,” a spokesman said.
“It’s now time to deliver it, building on our strong investment of more than $36 billion in the regions since we came into office.”
Leadership team
Last week Mr Walsh was endorsed to remain leader, with Emma Kealy to remain his deputy after replacing retiring Ms Ryan in July.
The Nationals are also on track to clinch a second upper house seat, taking their MPs total from seven to 11.
It means the Nationals will be entitled to an extra shadow cabinet position if they remain in coalition with the Liberals.
Mr Walsh confirmed the future of the coalition agreement would be discussed, but not until after the Liberal leadership team is finalised.
He believes the coalition should not cut ties despite the Nationals regaining party status.
“I would be very disappointed if we couldn’t show that we can work together,” Mr Walsh said.
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