Mark Gepp was appointed in April to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of controversial former minister Steve Herbert earlier this year.

In his inaugural speech, the new Legislative Member for Northern Victoria spoke of moving to Bendigo as a teenager with his family.

“Northern Victoria is an area of this great state that continues to be an integral part of my family’s life,” he said.

“We have a lengthy history through the goldfields of Bendigo, Castlemaine, Newstead and down through to Woodend.”

Mr Gepp, who married his wife Sue in Bendigo, left the city after sitting the public service entrance exam and being offered a job in the tax office.

“I was immediately attracted to the local union, the tax office’s branch of the Federated Clerks Union, which subsequently became the Community and Public Sector Union,” he said.

“It just made sense to me that we could improve people’s lives through wage rises, improved conditions and access to the opportunities that inevitably come from education and training.”

Mr Gepp said addressing inequality was his top priority.