The 2025 National Party of Australia leadership spill was held on 12 May 2025 to elect the leader of the National Party of Australia. Incumbent leader David Littleproud was re-elected after being challenged by Queensland senator Matt Canavan, with Kevin Hogan elected deputy leader following Perin Davey's defeat at the 2025 federal election. Bridget McKenzie was re-elected as Nationals leader in the Senate, and although her term expires on 30 June 2025, Davey was elected deputy Senate leader.
The National Party holds an automatic leadership spill following every federal election. The results of its internal ballots are not officially released.
Background 2022 leadership spill
The Liberal–National coalition lost the 2022 federal election to the Labor Party, although the Nationals retained all of its 16 seats in the House of Representatives (including 6 MPs from the Liberal National Party of Queensland who sit in the Nationals party room).
On 30 May 2022, the Nationals held a leadership election. Deputy leader David Littleproud challenged incumbent leader Barnaby Joyce and won, with Perin Davey replacing Littleproud as deputy leader.
2025 federal election
The Labor government, led by prime minister Anthony Albanese, was re-elected on 3 May 2025 to a second consecutive term in office in a landslide victory. The Nationals retained all House of Representative seats it held prior to the election, while Andrew Gee – who resigned from the Nationals in December 2023 – was re-elected in the seat of Calare as an independent. However, New South Wales senator Perin Davey – who was placed third on the Coalition's ticket – was not re-elected.
2025 leadership spill Colin Boyce, the member for Flynn, was the first Nationals MP to call for a change in leadership, saying Littleproud should step down because he "must bear some of the responsibility for what happened".
Candidates Leader Declared Candidate Electorate Announced Portfolio(s) David Littleproud Maranoa (Qld) 5 May 2025 Leader of the National Party (2022–present) Matt Canavan Senator for Queensland 9 May 2025 Minister for Resources and Northern Australia (2016–2017; 2017–2020)
Declined Candidate Electorate Declined Portfolio(s) Barnaby Joyce New England (NSW) 4 May 2025Leader of the National Party (2016–2018; 2021–2022) Deputy Prime Minister of Australia (2016–2018; 2021–2022) Michael McCormackRiverina (NSW) 12 May 2025Leader of the National Party (2018–2021) Deputy Prime Minister of Australia (2018–2021)
Deputy leader Declared Candidate Electorate Portfolio(s) Kevin Hogan Page (NSW) Shadow Minister for Trade and Tourism (2022–2025)
Declined Candidate Electorate Declined Portfolio(s) Bridget McKenzie Senator for Victoria 12 May 2025 Leader of the Nationals in the Senate (2019–present) Jacinta Price Senator for the Northern Territory 8 May 2025 (joined Liberal Party) Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians (2023–2025)
Endorsements David Littleproud
Matt Canavan
Aftermath On 20 May 2025, Littleproud announced that the Nationals would not renew the Coalition agreement with the Liberals.
The split from the Coalition came about as a result of policy differences around nuclear power, a future fund for regional Australia and supermarket divestiture powers as the main sticking points.
This resulted in the two parties operating separately for the first time since the 1980s, and thus reducing the Nationals to third party status in the Australian Parliament, sitting on the crossbench. However, Littleproud told newly elected Liberal leader Sussan Ley that he has every intention of working toward a renewed Coalition agreement in time for the next election.
On 28 May 2025, the Coalition agreement was restored following agreement on several policy areas that the Nationals had advocated, and a new shadow ministry was revealed.
See also 2025 Liberal Party of Australia leadership election 2025 Australian Greens leadership election
References