Nationals Senator Matt Canavan has said that if he’s elected as leader today, the party will dump its net zero energy policy and no longer “turn the volume down”.
Canavan will contest the leadership with current leader David Littleproud today, despite the Nationals having performed relatively well in the recent election that saw Labor sweep to power with an increased majority government.
The Queensland senator told Today that he did not believe Australians had “a proper choice” at the polls on May 3.
“It was too much of a ‘me too’ election,” he said.
“We were told at the last election that we had to turn the volume down, the National party, to help the Liberal party win seats in the cities. Now, that clearly didn’t work.”
Despite the Nationals’ robust performance in their regional seats, Canavan said he was aiming for the leadership because “we didn’t win government”.
“I definitely don’t think the mob we’ve got is going to be great for the country, but as I say, I think the perhaps the original sin of the campaign that we put forward was that we were telling the country that things were really bad, but then we weren’t proposing to make any radical changes to make it better,” he said.
“And those two things didn’t add up. So I’m proposing a changed approach, a different approach, and obviously, if we’re going to win the next election, we need some change and we’re only going to have a fighting chance if we put up a fight.”
Canavan said he was committed to representing regional Australia and promised to deliver cheap energy for households struggling with bills.
“People just don’t feel like they’re getting a voice,” he said.
“And I want to be a louder voice for them, through the Nationals Party.”
Canavan also again expressed his disappointment in Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s defection to the Liberal party room.
Price has since announced she will run for the deputy leadership under Angus Taylor.
However, Canavan insisted his publicly-expressed anger at her decision was not personal.
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“I’ve got nothing personal against Jacinta, but I’m very, very disappointed in the, I think, disloyal way she conducted this move,” he said.
“I don’t hold a grudge, but I’m still going to call it out when I don’t think the conduct is up to scratch.”
The Nationals will conduct their leadership vote today, followed by the Liberal party’s leadership contest tomorrow, and the Greens on Thursday.
