March 11, 2026
Queensland Senator Matt Canavan was elected leader of The Nationals in a Party Room meeting on Wednesday morning, held less than a day after David Littleproud’s shock announcement that he was quitting the role.
Party members met in Canberra for the vote.
Mr Littleproud’s former deputy, NSW MP Kevin Hogan, and Victorian Senator Bridget McKenzie also indicated before the meeting they would be putting up their hands for the top job.
The margins of the vote are not known.
Victorian MP – and former journalist – Darren Chester was elected Deputy Leader.
Senator Canavan unsuccessfully challenged Mr Littleproud for the leadership of the party in May last year.
Ahead of that vote, the South Burnett’s two other Federal representatives, Member for Wide Bay Llew O’Brien and Member for Flynn Colin Boyce, voiced their support for Senator Canavan ahead of Mr Littleproud, the Member for Maranoa.
Mr Littleproud said on Tuesday that although he was resigning from the leadership position, he would continue to represent Maranoa as its local MP.
Prior to being elected in 2013, Matt Canavan worked as Chief of Staff to then-National Party Senator Barnaby Joyce.
Mr Joyce, who later was elected to the House Of Representatives, switched allegiance to One Nation last December.
Senator Canavan has been a strong campaigner in opposition to “net zero” policies and has been prominent in various “Reckless Renewables” rallies.
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Statement By Senator Canavan
Thank you to my Nationals colleagues and the members of our great party right across Australia for your support and the honour to lead the Nationals.
The bad news is that things are tough for Australians today. Australians are doing it tough. Power prices are skyrocketing, migration rates are out of control, housing costs are through the roof and our birthrate is in free fall. Australians desperately need leaders that are focused on the practical ways that we can make things better.
The good news is that all of the ways to make things better are here in Australia. We have the resources, the people, the land and the opportunity for a bright future.
My policy as Nationals leader will be to have more Australia … more Australian farming, more Australian mining and more Australian jobs.
I want to manifest a hyper-Australia. We need more Australian babies, more Australian barbecue and more Aussie jokes, too!
We do not need to look overseas for solutions. We should not need to rely on overseas countries for basic essentials for fuel. We do not need to import an infinite number of people to artificially keep economic statistics growing.
We have a great team in The Nationals, (a) party full of Australian patriots. I can’t wait to work with them to deliver for Australians first.
- Related article: Littleproud Quits As Nats Leader
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