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AUSPOLLIEWATCH EVERY CLAIM LINKS TO ITS SOURCE · NOT A SCORECARD

Portrait of Darren Chester

Darren Chester

The Nationals · House of Representatives · Gippsland (VIC) · incumbent

Darren Jeffrey Chester was born on 13 September 1967 in Sale, Victoria, the son of a plumber and one of five children, and was educated in Sale. Before entering federal politics he worked as a newspaper and television journalist throughout Gippsland and was chief of staff to Peter Ryan, leader of the Nationals in the Victorian state parliament. [source]

Newspaper and television journalist in Gippsland 1986-1998, marketing consultant, then chief of staff to Victorian Nationals leader Peter Ryan 2004-08. Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, then Veterans' Affairs and Defence Personnel, 2016-2021. Deputy Leader of the Nationals from 11 March 2026, Leader of the Nationals in the House from 16 March 2026, and Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. [source]

Sourced positions

A verified position is the member's own stated view or vote, supported by the listed sources. This page records public statements and conduct only — see methodology.

Economic nationalism verified

Announcing a $3 million grant to DefendTex in Gippsland, Chester supported domestically producing commercial rocket boosters to fill a gap where there are "no commercially available, domestically manufactured rocket boosters for launch in Australia," saying this would "allow for responsive sovereign space launch to occur" and grow local jobs in Gippsland.

Record last updated 2026-08-13.