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Senator Matt Canavan has recognized the challenge posed by One Nation to his party’s voting base. In response, he has committed to serving as the leader of the National Party, succeeding David Littleproud, with a promise to champion the interests of Australians.
In his vision for the party, Canavan emphasized the need for a “hyper Australia” and encouraged the nation to focus on having “more Australian babies.”
“We must amplify everything Australian,” Canavan declared. “We need to create a hyper Australia.”
He continued, “This means more Australian humor, more Australian jokes, and more Australian barbecues,” during his speech announcing his leadership bid.
In a 45-minute meeting held on Wednesday morning, Canavan secured the leadership position through a ballot among National Party members. Victorian MP Darren Chester was chosen as his deputy.
The party was forced to vote on a new leader after Queensland MP David Littleproud resigned from the top job on Tuesday, saying he was too “buggered” to stay in the role.
Flanked by his entire party, Canavan said he was “humbled” to emerge as the party’s leader and was determined to “fight back” as “people are losing their standard of living”.
“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,” he told reporters in Canberra.
Canavan’s appointment comes as the Liberal-National party Coalition, which has split and reformed twice since May, is suffering in the polls.
The latest Newspoll has One Nation at 27 per cent of the primary vote, recording mid to high 20s across Redbridge and Resolve too — polling that puts it ahead of the Coalition.
It’s a measure of success not seen since the party’s height in 1998, when it polled at nearly 23 per cent nationally and picked up 11 seats at the Queensland state election.
Senator Bridget McKenzie, who remains the Nationals’ Senate leader, said the new leadership team has a depth of experience that can rival One Nation’s surge in popularity.
“The talent that we’ve got here at the front, but also behind us, I think will mean we’re not just be taking it up to Labor. Watch out, One Nation,” she said.
Canavan said he is concerned by the rise of identity politics under One Nation leader Pauline Hanson.
“What unites us as a country is more than what divides us.”
The first test of the Coalition’s new leadership, under Canavan and Liberal leader Angus Taylor, will be the 9 May Farrer by-election, following the retirement of Sussan Ley.
Canavan’s views at odds with prior leadership
The National Party appointed Canavan, an outspoken critic of net zero, to lead an internal review of the Coalition’s energy policy after its federal election loss.
In recent months, he has often been at odds with the party’s official position, under the leadership of David Littleproud.
He has repeatedly told the Coalition to ditch commitments to achieving net zero, an issue pertinent to the Coalition’s first breakup last year.
When the Coalition reunited, Canavan refused to join the shadow ministry, allowing him to cross the floor on several issues and express his views without being tied by cabinet solidarity.
Canavan also opposed Labor’s hate speech laws in February, in reaction to the Bondi terror attack, arguing they gave federal agencies too much power.
As he voted against the legislation, he encouraged his party members to walk away from the Coalition.
The resignation of Bridget McKenzie, Susan McDonald and Ross Cadell, and subsequent members, fractured the Liberals and Nationals for a second time in eight months.
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