ALI Cupper had just toppled long-serving incumbent Nationals MP Peter Crisp – who did not take a position for or against private hospital management – to win the seat of Mildura by a mere 253 votes at the 2018 Victorian election.

The state's 59th parliament had just been sworn in before Christmas that year and Ms Cupper's biggest priority was organising a meeting with Health Minister Jenny Mikakos to push the case for returning Mildura Base Hospital back to public hands.