Conservative stalwart Kevin Andrews has lost preselection for his seat, ousting him after almost 30 years.

Mr Andrews was defeated by special forces veteran Keith Wolahan in his bid for the blue ribbon Victorian seat of Menzies. He went down in the preselection poll with 111 votes, compared to Mr Wolahan’s 181. 

Mr Andrews had occupied the seat since winning it at a byelection in 1991, and marks the first time a federal member has lost a preselection ballot in Victoria in decades.

It is seen as blow to the Liberal party’s conservative faction, for which Mr Andrews had been a loud voice against issues from euthanasia and abortion to climate change. One of his major victories for this agenda was introducing a successful private member’s bill to overturn the Northern Territory’s euthanasia law. He was also deeply involved in recent leadership battles. He has not held a portfolio since being defence minister in the Abbott government; a position he lost when Malcolm Turnbull became leader.

Mr Andrews may have been expected to win the preselection poll, given that he carried the endorsement of Prime Minister Scott Morrison, former PMs John Howard and Tony Abbott, and a raft of ministerial colleagues including deputy Liberal leader Josh Frydenberg.

Menzies preselectors were not swayed by the big names though, appearing to prefer Mr Wolahan’s call for renewal and change. He holds a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Cambridge, along with degrees from Monash and Melbourne universities. 

In factional terms, the outcome is considered a blow for Assistant Treasurer and Victorian conservative faction leader Michael Sukkar, and a win for state Liberal president Robert Clark, who will face conservative forces in elections later this year.