Terry Mulder

Mulder joined the Liberal Party in 1992, and was an active member of his local branch thereafter, serving as its vice-president from 1993 to 1995 and president from 1995 to 1999. He subsequently won preselection to contest the safe seat of Polwarth upon the resignation of long-serving Ian Smith. He was easily elected, and was a popular backbencher for most of his first term. Mulder was promoted to the ministry in a reshuffle ahead of the 2002 election, serving as Shadow Minister for Water Resources.[3]

Mulder was easily re-elected at the 2002 election,[4] despite a statewide routing of the Liberal Party and a challenge from renowned Geelong football player Paul Couch, who ran in Polwarth as a National Party candidate. The defeat of several shadow ministers opened up a number of vacancies in the shadow cabinet after the election, and Mulder was promoted to the position of Shadow Minister for Transport and Shadow Minister for Ports.

As Shadow Minister for Transport, Mulder became one of the highest-profile members of the opposition, leading attacks on cost blow-outs over the Regional Fast Rail project and the rebuilding of Spencer Street station, the badly delayed Craigieburn railway line extension[5] and the controversial siting of the Marshall railway station. With the party continuing to generally struggle, however, Mulder began to be seen as a potential replacement for leader Robert Doyle.

Mulder was seen as an outside chance to become leader throughout 2005 and early 2006, and briefly emerged as a contender to succeed Doyle when he stepped down in May 2006. He was endorsed by Doyle as his chosen replacement, but withdrew when it became clear that Ted Baillieu, Doyle's chief rival, had the numbers to succeed him.[6] Following the 2010 state election, In 2008 Mulder was one of the Liberal mp's to oppose the legalized abortion act introduced by the Brumby Government which saw abortion legal up to twenty four weeks and up to the moment of birth if two doctors grant approval.[1][7][8]