![Going: Damian Drum speaks at commemorations to mark the 50th anniversary of the Southern Aurora crash near Violet Town in 1969. Picture: MARK JESSER Going: Damian Drum speaks at commemorations to mark the 50th anniversary of the Southern Aurora crash near Violet Town in 1969. Picture: MARK JESSER](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/XJLgPnEdnKaFugZzKyL6Sw/58b8a3bb-b708-4c9a-809a-3f4f01e7ba88.jpg/r0_36_4032_2616_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
NORTHERN Victorian Labor MP Mark Gepp and federal Nationals MP Damian Drum are retiring at their respective elections next year.
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Mr Gepp, a backbencher, decided not to seek preselection after consulting with his family.
The former union representative entered parliament in 2017 and is one of two Labor MPs that represent the seat which runs from Mildura to Corryong.
![Rare visit: Mark Gepp when he was part of a Victorian government delegation that visited Albury hospital in January 2020. Rare visit: Mark Gepp when he was part of a Victorian government delegation that visited Albury hospital in January 2020.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/XJLgPnEdnKaFugZzKyL6Sw/1de24c96-1015-4b6e-8291-32e511694a69.jpg/r0_0_2172_3258_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
He helped support Labor candidate for Benambra Mark Tait at the 2018 Victorian election but his regional focus was largely on the central and western sides of his Upper House bailiwick.
Mr Drum will vacate his seat of Nicholls, which includes Yarrawonga and is centred on Shepparton, at the next election.
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The former coach of Fremantle in the AFL became a federal MP in 2016 for the Nationals after representing the party in the Victorian parliament for 14 years.
In a statement released on Friday, Mr Drum said he believed now was the right moment to leave after consulting with his family.
"I believe now is the perfect time to pass the baton to someone who will represent the National Party in Nicholls and who will represent the region from within government," he said.
The later was a veiled reference to Greater Shepparton deputy mayor Rob Priestly who is running as an independent in Nicholls.
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