13 Facts About Steph Ryan

Stephanie Maureen Ryan was born on 20 June 1986 and is a former Australian politician.

Steph Ryan was a National Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 2014 to 2022, representing the Legislative Assembly seat of Euroa.

On 3 December 2014, Steph Ryan was elected as deputy leader of the Nationals in the Victorian Parliament.

Steph Ryan headed calls to broaden the rights of appeal, in line with the wishes of Handsjuk's family who believed an open finding was necessary.

At the 2018 Victorian election which saw the Andrews Government retain power with an increased majority, Steph Ryan was just one of a handful of Coalition MPs returned with a positive swing, contrary to the swing away from the Coalition in the majority of the state.

Steph Ryan was outed in 2019 as one of three Nationals MPs who had appointed family members to taxpayer-funded jobs in their electorate offices, having employed her mother on a casual basis at taxpayer expense between 2014 and 2018.

Steph Ryan consistently advocated for a more ambitious climate change target at a federal level before a net zero position was adopted, calling on her federal colleagues to follow the Victorian Nationals' greener position on climate change.

Steph Ryan expressed frustration that Victorian Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie had voted for Joyce's return to the leadership and had won promotion to Cabinet at the expense of Gippsland MP Darren Chester, even though McKenzie's promotion resulted in a new record being set for the number of women in an Australian federal cabinet.

Steph Ryan called for improved regional infrastructure, including roads and public transport as well as greater access to health services, in particular mental health.

In July 2022 Steph Ryan announced she was resigning from the deputy leadership and her shadow ministerial positions, while pregnant with her second child.

Steph Ryan stated that she would not recontest the upcoming election, citing family and a more flexible employment as reasons for her retirement.

In 2016 Steph Ryan married her long-term partner, former Australian Labor Party City of Yarra Councillor Simon Huggins.

Steph Ryan is a distant relative of Ned Kelly and of former National Party federal president, John Tanner.