New Nationals leader Matt Canavan talks to reporters this morning.
QUEENSLAND Senator Matt Canavan has emerged as the new leader of the Nationals following the resignation of David Littleproud earlier this week.
Mr Canavan fronted reporters after a party meeting this morning, flanked by his new deputy Darren Chester and Victorian senator Bridget McKenzie who is retaining her Senate leadership role for the party.
Mr Canavan said it was extremely humbling to be elected the leader “of this great party.”
He thanked Mr Littleproud’s service to the party and to the nation.
“It’s been a tough time and I know more than anyone else how tough it can be in this game, but David has left everything out on the paddock and we very much all thank him for that.”
Mr Canavan said said it is a tough time for Australians.
“Because I think we are losing our country, we’re losing our standard of living, we’re losing our confidence, we’re losing our relaxed and larrikin nature and we have to fight back for all Australians.”
Mr Canavan said the “bad news” ius that things are not going well under the Labor Government, but the “good news is that everything we need to solve the problems in front of us right now are here in this country.
‘”We’ve got everything we need here in this country, so all we need to do, all we need to do, to revive our great nation is to have more Australia.
“We need to have more Australian farming, more Australian manufacturing, more Australian jobs, we need to have more Australian everything,” Mr Canvan said.,
“We need to manifest a hyper-Australia here, wee need to go hyper-Australia for our country.
“We need more Australian babies, we need more Australian humour, more Australian jokes and more Australian barbecues, sometimes often fuelled by fossil fuels,” he said.
“We need more Australian everything, we don’t need to look overseas for our solutions.”
Mr Canavan said he believed the Albanese Government for far too long “has been looking for acclaim overseas before delivering solutions on the ground.”
“And we see that more than anywhere else right now, with this inexplicable fuel crisis unable to deliver basic essentials to our farmers to just keep livestock alive.
“This government continuing now to act like everything is fine, while our country burns, is not acceptable to the Australian people,” he said.
“So all the promise I give and gave to our party room and to all Australians out there, is that i will now not rest to fight for our nation to get back to use our resources to fight for the Australian people to put our country first.”
It is unclear yet whether Mr Littleproud will retain the shadow agriculture portfolio in the Liberal-Nationals Coalition.
AT last, a decent leader takes the stage!
Well done Matt….you knew that the party direction was wrong during covid, you knew that the party direction was wrong with Net Zero and I wish you all the best setting the party direction now!
Sorry, this is the person some years ago was quite adamant the federal government should kick productive multigenerational farmers off their land all because the government wanted their clean treeless farm land for military use. All because the federal government would not clean the adjacent half a million acres at Shoalwater Bay.
It was the Nationals that stood by as Howard created the Environmental protection act. It was the nationals that did nothing as the useless LPA was created. The Nationals stood by as the APVMA has turned into a masterpiece of obstruction for farm chemical use.
It was the Nationals that stood by as all manner of rules and regulations were introduced, making production more expensive and creating jobs for paperwork that do nothing but take money away from the productive people.
I am not really that interested in the Nationals any more.