James Newbury

Newbury grew up in Malvern East, and his grandfather, Dr Charles Renton Newbury, was President of the World Dental Federation and a recipient of a CBE. Newbury joined the Liberal Party in 1999. == Career ==

Newbury was a Liberal staffer in Canberra and Melbourne before his election, and holds three degrees. Newbury's university degrees include a Juris Doctor (Post Graduate Level Degree), a Master of Business (Law), and a Bachelor of Business (Law). In the Liberal Party, Newbury worked as a Senior Adviser to the Victorian Premier Denis Napthine, a Parliamentary Adviser to the Hon Christopher Pyne, a Parliamentary Adviser to the Hon Joe Hockey; and worked for a number of other Parliamentarians including Senator Richard Alston, the Hon Tony Abbott, and Senator Mitch Fifield. == Politics ==

Newbury was a backer of Michael Kroger to be the president of the Liberal Party in Victoria. He also was a close ally of Marcus Bastiaan, who claimed to control a large portion of the administrative committee. This group generally aimed to install conservative politicians, or have moderates toe a more conservative line. Newbury is considered a moderate who has "sought to return the party to its centre." Newbury won preselection for the district of Brighton in 2016, receiving support from prominent outgoing MP Louise Asher who described Newbury as "one of the most outstanding individuals with whom I have had the pleasure to work" in a reference letter. This was the cause of some disappointment in the Liberal ranks, as it would lead to a reduction in their female representation. Newbury's victory came with allegations of branch stacking. Newbury won the seat in an electoral landslide for the Labor Party but suffered an 8.7% swing against him, and was in danger of losing the previously safe Liberal seat to a relatively unheard of 19 year old who had only joined the Labor party two months prior and whose entire electoral campaign budget was $1750. Newbury defeated former Bayside Council Mayor, Felicity Frederico to retain Liberal Party preselection for the 2022 state election, defeating Labor's Louise Crawford and Frederico, who ran as an independent, at that election. He retained the seat with a swing of 4.6% towards him. Newbury has expressed deep concern over the leadership of Victorian Liberal Party President Greg Mirabella, joining former Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy in condemning Mirabella’s conduct during and after the 2022 Victorian State Election. The Age newspaper reported that Newbury had spoken at a meeting of the Liberal Party’s Administrative Committee, slamming Mirabella’s proposed one-man review of the election, saying he believed private reviews “would not be founded in truth, and feared it could be hijacked by self-serving politics and factionalism”. Newbury voted to expel Moira Deeming from the parliamentary Liberal Party in 2023, but later voted to re-admit her, and voted for Brad Battin in the subsequent 2024 Victorian Liberal Party leadership spill. On 14 October 2025, Newbury was one of a number of Liberal MPs who applauded the speeches of Aboriginal activists who spoke in favour of treaty, during parliamentary debate on the Statewide Treaty Bill 2025. On 03 May 2026, Newbury at the time holding positions of Opposition Attorney-General and Shadow Minister for Equality posted to his X(formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram accounts after the Liberal Party claimed the seat of Nepean after a bye-election. The post used the words "Tick Tock Jacinta Allan. Victoria is coming for Labor with baseball bats". The post on X has since been deleted although it remains on his Instagram and Facebook profiles as of 05/05/2026. Considerable backlash has been received from organisations such as The Red Heart Movement and Toilet Paper Australia. == Political positions==

Abortion Newbury is a supporter of abortion rights, who criticised a Liberal Party colleague Bernie Finn in May 2022, calling his anti-abortion views "deeply disturbing and dangerous". He also stated that governments should not "legislate control over a woman's body". COVID-19 lockdowns Newbury was a vocal critic of the Victorian lockdowns. Newbury was criticised for sharing a photo on social media that showed a girl's self-harm. He linked the post to the COVID-19 lockdown and the strain on mental health, later removing the post from Twitter two hours after he posted it. Crime Newbury has backed the idea that police should be able to racially profile people that they question, and to store that information for future reference. Newbury has been a vocal critic of Victoria’s bail laws and crime trends, particularly in his Bayside electorate, pushing for reforms he says will address what he calls a "crime crisis.” Duck hunting Newbury has criticised the practice of duck hunting, and called for the practice to be stopped. Environment Newbury has called for an end to the state’s culls to Victoria's feral brumby population, pledging to stop the eradication, if elected to government. LGBTQ affairs Newbury has supported maintaining Victoria's strict anti-conversion therapy laws, funding LGBTQ community radio and providing a "dedicated professional legal support service" to LGBTQ Victorians. Newbury drew media attention when he gave an "iron clad guarantee" that the Victorian Liberals would not amend new laws banning gay conversion therapy. Newbury's views angered more conservative elements, including "hard-right Liberal backbencher" Bernie Finn now a member of Family First and Nationals leader Peter Walsh, who was recorded using foul language about Newbury in a Coalition partyroom meeting in which Walsh stated that the Nationals did not support Newbury's stance on the conversion therapy ban. Planning and housing In 2024, Newbury criticised the Allan government’s housing plan for higher density living in activity centres in Melbourne to address lack of housing supply. He was criticised in December 2024, including by the Nationals, for labelling the Premier and Treasurer, who both represent regional Victorian electorates, as ‘out-of-towners’ in regard to the government’s housing and planning initiatives for Melbourne. Tax and economic reform Newbury was Victoria’s Shadow Treasurer from January to October 2025. In the 2025 Opposition Budget Reply speech, Newbury unveiled the Liberal-National Coalition’s “Go For Growth” plan, promising to restore financial integrity, unleash private sector job creation, support workers, ease cost-of-living pressures, and more responsibly manage state debt. ==References==