Husband of former Indi MP, Greg Mirabella, keen to enter Senate after Liberal Party thumbs-up

The 61-year-old was chosen by party delegates on Saturday to replace former Senate president Scott Ryan who announced his retirement in September.

Mr Mirabella was also voted into the winnable No.3 position on the Coalition Upper House ticket for next year's federal election.

To sit in the Senate, Mr Mirabella requires approval from a sitting of the Victorian parliament, due next Tuesday at the earliest.

He hopes if that proceeds he will be sworn in for the last two Senate sitting days for the year, Wednesday and Thursday next week.

"My priority is to get in and sworn in because that gives me the December-January to set up because I've got to have an office and employ a few staff," Mr Mirabella said.

"It would be nice if I could get that set up before parliament resumes in February."

Mr Mirabella has Benalla, Seymour and Shepparton on an office short list, saying Wangaratta lacked centrality.

He defeated former Liberal Party director Simon Frost for the role and No.3 place.

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Despite Mr Frost having the support of federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, Mr Mirabella was confident of winning because of his lobbying of party members.

He sold himself as a country senator and intends to address rural concerns such as the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and road and rail issues.

Mr Mirabella's wife Sophie, a member of the Fair Work Commission and former Liberal MP for Indi did not attend the Senate vote.

He said he had not sought Liberal preselection for Indi based on his age.

"It's the kind of seat when it returns to Liberal hands it will be a minister's seat and that's someone younger than me," Mr Mirabella said.

He hopes to serve one six-year Senate term.

The Mirabellas will be the fourth husband and wife to be federal MPs, following Joseph and Enid Lyons, Maurice and Doris Blackburn and Kevin and Jocelyn Newman.

Mr Mirabella was matter-of-fact about that family achievement.

"It's an interesting footnote, if I was the first then maybe I would be a bit more interested in it," he said.

"It's nice, it's interesting, but it's not front of my mind."

However, Mr Mirabella said his introduction to practical politics followed his wife's lose to Independent MP Cathy McGowan in 2013.

He said it was then he was approached by farmers concerned about management plans for Wangaratta's saleyards and they had initially asked if Mrs Mirabella could assist them, before he took up the issue.

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