Background
Northe was born in Traralgon, Victoria and attended Traralgon High School, completing Year 11 in 1982.
Northe was born in Traralgon, Victoria and attended Traralgon High School, completing Year 11 in 1982.
In 2006, Northe completed a Certificate IV in Business.
Prior to winning preselection by The Nationals for the seat of Morwell, he was a local Australian rules football player. Northe doubled The Nationals primary vote, secured with the aid of Liberal Party and ex-Labor independent preferences. Russell Northe joined fellow parliamentarians Peter Ryan and Peter Hall as The Nationals state parliamentary representatives for Gippsland.
With the Liberal/Nationals Coalition winning government, Northe was also appointed as Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business.
Northe has served on the Parliament"s Rural and Regional Committee since 2007.
Utilising repetitive television advertising and campaigning on the issues of workers rights and bicycle paths, Northe was able to capitalise on divisions within some local branches of the Australian Labor Party to win the seat. At the 2010 state election, Northe achieved the biggest pro-Coalition swing in the state to transform Morwell into one of the National Party"s safest Victorian seats, with a two-party-preferred margin of 16.29% against Labor. Northe won Morwell on the primary vote, polling 56.24% in his own right, and won every polling booth except the small Yallourn North booth, where Labor recorded a narrow majority.
This win also served to help secure The Nationals future as a political party in Victoria.