Nationals deputy leader David Littleproud has confirmed he will try to overthrow Barnaby Joyce as leader when the party meets in Canberra on Monday.
Key points:
- David Littleproud hopes to oust Barnaby Joyce as Nationals leader
- The party will decide which team will lead in a meeting on Monday
- Littleproud and Joyce have strong support in the party room
Littleproud, who was a coalition government minister in agriculture and a member of Maranoa in Queensland, said in a statement: “This afternoon I informed Barnaby Joyce of my intention to nominate me as leader of The Nationals.
“I also took the opportunity to thank our party for all the service.
“I think this is the right time to introduce myself to my party room as a leader.
“Ultimately, this is a decision on who will lead the nationals in the 2025 election. Therefore, out of respect for my colleagues, I will not make any more public statements until after Monday’s meeting.”
The challenge follows the announcement by Gippsland MP Darren Chester that he would also challenge Mr Joyce, arguing that his colleagues’ “extreme” comments on climate change and the Coalition’s zero-net policy had contributed to the loss of liberal seats that had previously been safe in cities.
But Chester has downplayed his chances of winning the leadership vote.
Former Nationals leader Michael McCormack, who was rolled out by Joyce last year, had also considered raising his hand.
Barnaby Joyce and David Littleproud will face off in a leadership contest on Monday. (ABC News: Matt Roberts)
The ABC has spoken with nine nationals who said in private that they would vote for Mr. Littleproud in a leadership vote, while others remain undecided or will support Mr. Joyce.
While cities voted in favor of change in federal elections, rural and regional areas did not.
The nationals occupied all 16 seats in the lower house, but there were changes against them in most areas, even though the party had billions of dollars in regional infrastructure announcements.
After the election, nationals have shown that they are once again divided over climate change and net zero, and some argue that a new leader is needed to unite the party with the opposition.
Since 2017, Joyce has resigned twice as a leader, one for dual nationality and a second for a sexual harassment complaint.
In 2020 he unsuccessfully challenged his successor, Mr. McCormack, however, finally launched it last year when the Coalition got stuck in protracted negotiations over its zero-net target.
Littleproud has been one of the party’s strongest advocates for action against climate change and established a biodiversity management program while in government.