The Nationals will not comment on the jailing of their former minister Russell Northe, the leader of the party and member for Murray Plains, Peter Walsh, said on Thursday.
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Mr Northe, who was charged last year by IBAC (the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission) over $170,000 worth of false claims for public money he lodged as an MP, was sentenced to 21 months jail with a non-parole period of 12 months after pleading guilty to the misconduct charges in the County Court on Wednesday, October 26.
The 57-year-old, who was the member for Morwell from 2006 to 2022, used the money to fuel a gambling addiction.
He has been diagnosed with significant mental health problems and checked out of a psychiatric clinic to attend court. In sentencing the former MP, His Honour Judge McInerney ordered him put on suicide watch.
As a Nationals MP Mr Northe was the Minister for Small Business and Minister for Energy Resources from March 2014 until December 2014, when the Coalition lost office.
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Between December 2014 and December 2016 he was the shadow minister for liquor and gaming regulation and for consumer affairs.
Judge McInerney found Mr Northe appeared to have been "a hardworking and excellent member" whose job was made more difficult by the 2009 Morwell mine fire and the 2019 bushfires, and who also had difficulties within the National party.
After taking a paid leave of absence to address his gambling and alcohol issues, the former MP resigned from the party in 2017.
He was re-elected as the member for Morwell in 2018, and his offending, described by the judge as "sophisticated, protracted and brazen" occurred between April 2019 to April 2020.
Mr Walsh had not been in contact with his former colleague for a number of years, he said.
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