After 15 years as Wannon MP, Dan Tehan is banking on track record to get him across the line

Raised on a Merino sheep and Hereford cattle farm near Mansfield, 57-year-old politician Dan Tehan may be entering his final days as the MP for Wannon.

Polling suggests that at the federal election on Saturday Tehan will either just hang on, or be soundly defeated by Independent Alex Dyson. 

So, who is Dan Tehan? The Brolga has sought interviews with the MP, however he has not responded to our requests.

According to his website, Tehan grew up in Victoria's High Country with his parents, three brothers and two sisters.

He was born in Melbourne to parents Jim and Marie Tehan, both of whom also had careers in politics.

Marie served as a state government minister from 1987-1999 for the Liberal Party, while Jim was a Country Vice President of the national Liberal Party in the Victorian division. 

After successfully running for Liberal preselection, Tehan defeated nine other candidates in the seat of Wannon to be elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 2010. 

He has remained the Wannon MP since.

During that time, he has served as Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment; Minister for Education; Minister for Social Services; Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Minister for Defence Personnel, among other roles.

Prior to entering politics Tehan worked in the public sector for the majority of his career. This included a stint with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and as a senior political advisor to former Deputy Prime Minister Mark Vaile.

Tehan says some of his major achievements for Wannon include a $463.9 million investment towards the Warrnambool Rail Line upgrade; $100 million for the Princes Highway Corridor Strategy upgrade across Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales; and $360 million for the Western Highway duplication from Ararat to Stawell.

In 2017 a plebiscite was held in Australia to determine whether same-sex marriage would become legal. Tehan reportedly opposed same-sex marriage in 2016, before later announcing he would vote in accordance with the results of the plebiscite. He voted for the 2017 Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Act.

Tehan says he is focused in this campaign on “better roads and rail”, “economic recovery”, “delivering regional services” including health care and child care, “protecting our environment” and “delivering community projects”.

He has five children: Oliver, Tim, Amelia, Maya and Eleanor.