She previously worked as a country journalist and political adviser to various state MPs including Liberal Premier Ted Baillieu[7] and members of the Victorian Nationals' leadership team prior to her own election.
[13] The relationship attracted much interest in the media given Ryan's status as deputy leader of Victoria's oldest anti-Labor political party and Huggins being a member of the Labor Left and strident advocate for LGBTI issues.
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.
[18] 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.
[19] Liberal MP Wendy Lovell castigated Ryan in a private WhatsApp group for Victorian Coalition MPs for engaging in "low tactics" and "hypocrisy" in mid-2021 after revelations emerged that the Nationals had engaged in the unlawful practice of cybersquatting on domain names using the name of independent Mildura MP Ali Cupper, which sought to redirect internet users to a National Party website containing negative material about Cupper.
[26] Ryan also 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.