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National Party of Australia
Abbreviation
  • NP
  • NPA
Leader David Littleproud
Deputy Leader Perin Davey
Senate Leader Bridget McKenzie
Deputy Senate Leader Perin Davey
President Kay Hull
Founder Eleven co-founders
Founded 22 January 1920; 105 years ago (1920-01-22)
Headquarters John McEwen House, Barton, Australian Capital Territory
Think tank Page Research Centre
Youth wing Young Nationals
Women's wing Nationals Women
Ideology
Political position Centre-right to right-wing
National affiliation Liberal–National Coalition
Colours
Governing body Federal Council
Party branches
  • NSW
  • Qld
  • SA
  • Tas
  • Vic
  • WA
House of Representatives
15 / 151
Senate
6 / 76

The National Party of Australia, often called The Nationals or The Nats, is an Australian political party. It is known for supporting people in regional areas, especially farmers. The party started in 1920 as the Australian Country Party.

In 1975, its name changed to the National Country Party. Then, in 1982, it became the National Party of Australia. A main goal of the Nationals is to support farmers. They do this through government help or community efforts.

The Nationals often work with the Liberal Party to form a group called the Liberal–National Coalition. When the Coalition is in power, the leader of the Nationals usually becomes the Deputy Prime Minister. This shows how closely the two parties work together. Sometimes, people have suggested that the Liberal and National parties should officially join. For example, in Queensland, the Country Party (later National Party) joined with the Liberal Party in 2008 to form the Liberal National Party of Queensland.

The current leader of the National Party is David Littleproud. He represents the area of Maranoa in Queensland. He became leader in May 2022. The party's deputy leader is Perin Davey, who is a Senator for New South Wales.

The History of the National Party

The Country Party, which is now the National Party, officially began in 1913 in Western Australia. It became a national party in 1920. It grew from smaller state groups like the Victorian Farmers' Union (VFU).

The VFU won a seat in the House of Representatives in 1918. This was helped by a new way of voting called preferential voting. In the 1919 federal election, Country Parties in different states won seats. In 1920, William McWilliams from Tasmania became the first national leader of the Country Party. He said the party would work hard to help primary producers, like farmers. McWilliams was replaced by Earle Page in April 1921.

Early Power and Coalitions

In the 1922 election, the Country Party gained a lot of power. They won enough seats to stop the Nationalist Party from having a majority. Earle Page, the new leader, said his party would only work with the Nationalists if their leader, Hughes, stepped down. Hughes resigned, and Page then worked with the new Nationalist leader, Stanley Bruce.

Page asked for a lot for his party to join the government. He wanted five spots in the Cabinet (the main group of government ministers), including the Treasurer role. He also wanted to be the second most important person in the government. Bruce agreed, and the "Bruce-Page Ministry" was formed. This started the tradition of the Country Party leader being the second most important person in Coalition governments.

Page led the party until 1939. He even briefly served as Prime Minister in 1939 after Joseph Lyons passed away. The Coalition government was formed again in 1940 under Archie Cameron. It continued even when Arthur Fadden became leader after the 1940 election. Fadden was a strong supporter of Menzies. When Menzies had to resign as Prime Minister, Fadden briefly took over. However, his government soon fell.

After losing the 1943 election, Fadden became the Deputy Leader of the Opposition under Menzies. Menzies later created the Liberal Party of Australia. Fadden remained a loyal partner to Menzies. In the lead-up to the 1949 federal election, Fadden played a big part in helping the Coalition win. He often made strong statements about the Labor Party, which Menzies could then make sound more moderate. In 1949, Fadden became Treasurer and stayed in that role until he retired in 1958. His strong partnership with Menzies helped the Coalition stay in power until 1972.

The McEwen Era and Party Changes

John McEwen took over from Fadden as leader in 1958. He was the Trade Minister. McEwen focused on helping Australian primary producers. He signed important trade deals with Japan, New Zealand, Britain, and the USSR. He also pushed for a system to protect Australian industries that added value to raw products. This was known as "McEwenism." This was a time when the Country Party had a lot of power.

When Menzies retired in 1966, Harold Holt became Prime Minister. McEwen was the longest-serving member of the government. He had a lot of influence on government decisions. When Holt disappeared in 1967, McEwen became interim Prime Minister. McEwen was known for being tough in politics, earning him the nickname "Black Jack."

At the state level, the Country Party was very strong in Queensland from 1957 to 1989. This was partly due to a system called the "bjelkemander," which gave rural voters more power. The party also took part in governments in New South Wales, Victoria, and Western Australia.

However, over time, the Country Party started to lose support. This was because fewer people lived in rural areas, and some areas near cities changed. In 1974, the party's members in the Northern Territory joined with Liberal members to form the Country Liberal Party. This new party still represents both groups in that territory.

Becoming the National Party

In the 1970s, Australia's population changed. Cities grew much faster than remote rural areas. This meant fewer people lived in the National Party's traditional strongholds. On May 2, 1975, the Country Party changed its name to the National Country Party of Australia. This was an attempt to gain more support in urban areas. This worked somewhat in Queensland, but not elsewhere.

The 1980s saw disagreements between the federal party and the Queensland leader, Joh Bjelke-Petersen. In 1987, Bjelke-Petersen tried to become Prime Minister, which caused the Nationals to break their agreement with the Liberals. This plan, known as "Joh for Canberra," did not work out. The Labor Party won the election. After this, Bjelke-Petersen retired, and the Queensland Nationals lost heavily in 1989.

The federal National Party also had a tough time in the 1990 election. Their leader, Charles Blunt, lost his seat. His successor, Tim Fischer, helped the party recover some seats in the 1993 election. In 1996, the Coalition won a big victory, and Fischer became Deputy Prime Minister under John Howard.

In the late 1990s, the Nationals faced challenges. Some people felt the party was too similar to the Liberal Party. Also, a new party, the One Nation Party, gained support from unhappy rural voters. At the 1998 federal election, the National Party had its lowest ever share of the vote.

Under leaders like Fischer and John Anderson, the Nationals rarely disagreed publicly with the Liberal Party. This made it harder for them to show they were a separate party for rural Australia. In the 2001 and 2004 elections, the party's vote continued to decline.

Experts like Antony Green say that the National Party's decline is due to two main reasons. First, the rural sector is less important to the national economy than it used to be. Second, there are growing differences in values between people in rural and urban Australia.

In June 2005, John Anderson resigned as leader. Mark Vaile took over. In the 2007 election, the Nationals' vote dropped further. Vaile then resigned, and Warren Truss became the new leader.

In 2010, the party received its lowest vote share ever, but they gained a few more seats. In the 2013 election, their fortunes improved slightly. In the 2016 election, under Barnaby Joyce, the party gained more seats. In 2018, Barnaby Joyce resigned as leader and Deputy Prime Minister.

In the 2019 federal election, the National Party's vote only slightly decreased, despite challenges like drought.

State and Territory Parties

The National Party has different groups in each state and territory. These groups work together with the federal party.

Party Leader Last election Status Federal representatives
Lower House Upper House MPs Senators
Year Votes (%) Seats votes (%) Seats
Liberal National Party of Queensland David Crisafulli 2020 35.9
34 / 93
N/A Opposition
21 / 30
5 / 12
Country Liberal Party Lia Finocchiaro 2020 31.3
8 / 25
N/A Opposition
0 / 2
1 / 2
National Party of New South Wales Dugald Saunders 2023 8.6
11 / 93
29.8
5 / 42
Liberal–National coalition opposition
7 / 47
2 / 12
National Party of Victoria Peter Walsh 2022 4.7
9 / 88
29.4
3 / 40
Liberal–National coalition opposition
3 / 39
1 / 12
National Party of Western Australia Shane Love 2021 4.1
4 / 59
2.8
3 / 36
Opposition
0 / 15
0 / 12
National Party of South Australia 2022 0.4
0 / 47
0.7
0 / 22
Extra-parliamentary
0 / 10
0 / 12
National Party of Tasmania 2024 None
0 / 35
N/A
0 / 15
Extra-parliamentary
0 / 5
0 / 12

The Role of the National Party

Embassy of Argentina in Canberra
John McEwen House, The National Party's headquarters in Canberra

The Nationals believe their main job is to speak for Australians who live outside big cities. This includes people in regional and rural areas.

When the Coalition is in government, the leader of the National Party usually becomes the Deputy Prime Minister. This tradition started in 1968.

The National Party gets a lot of its support from the farming community. Historically, the party has supported farmers through government help. They have also pushed for free trade in agriculture. They often oppose rules that protect manufacturing industries. The party generally supports industrial development and is not usually focused on green politics.

The idea of "countrymindedness" was important to the Country Party from 1920 to the early 1970s. This idea meant that people in rural areas felt connected and supported each other. It also led to calls for government help for rural areas. This idea grew because rural areas did not grow as fast as cities after 1890. It declined as more people moved from the country to cities for jobs.

The Nationals' vote has been decreasing. Some of their traditional supporters are now voting for independent politicians. These independents are often former members of the National Party. Since the 2004 federal election, the National Party has received fewer votes than the Australian Greens.

Changes in where people live are also affecting the party. Fewer people live and work on farms or in small towns. Larger regional centers are growing, and sometimes people from cities move to rural areas. The Liberal Party has also gained support. This is because the differences between the two parties in the Coalition have become less clear. In 2006, a Nationals Senator, Julian McGauran, even joined the Liberals. He said there was "no longer any real distinguishing policy or philosophical difference."

In Queensland, the Nationals leader, Lawrence Springborg, suggested that the National and Liberal parties should merge at the state level. This was to create a stronger opposition to the Labor Party. This idea was initially rejected by the Queensland Liberal Party. However, it later gained some support. The federal leader, Mark Vaile, said the Nationals would not merge with the Liberal Party at the federal level. The merger plan was stopped in 2006. After losing the 2006 Queensland election, Lawrence Springborg was replaced by Jeff Seeney. Seeney was not interested in merging unless it was a federal issue.

In September 2008, Barnaby Joyce became the leader of the Nationals in the Senate. He said his party in the Senate would not always vote with the Liberals. This gave the Labor government another way to pass laws. Joyce became the party leader in 2016. In 2017, Joyce and former deputy leader Fiona Nash were disqualified from parliament. This was because they held dual citizenship, which is not allowed for Australian politicians.

Queensland Liberal/National Merger

Plans for a merger became serious in May 2008. The Queensland state Liberal Party announced they would merge right away. They did not wait for a federal plan. The new party, the Liberal National Party, was formed in July 2008.

Election Results Over Time

This table shows how the National Party has performed in federal elections over the years. It lists the leader, the percentage of votes received, and how many seats they won in the House of Representatives.

Election Leader Votes  % Seats +/– Government
1919* none 176,884 9.3
11 / 75
Increase 11 Crossbench
1922 Earle Page 197,513 12.5
14 / 75
Increase 3 Coalition
1925 313,363 10.7
13 / 75
Decrease 1 Coalition
1928 271,686 10.4
13 / 75
Steady 0 Coalition
1929 295,640 10.2
10 / 75
Decrease 3 Opposition
1931 388,544 12.2
16 / 75
Increase 6 Crossbench
1934 447,968 12.6
14 / 74
Decrease 2 Coalition
1937 560,279 15.5
16 / 74
Increase 2 Coalition
1940 Archie Cameron 531,397 13.7
13 / 74
Decrease 3 Coalition
1943 Arthur Fadden 287,000 6.9
7 / 74
Decrease 6 Opposition
1946 464,737 10.7
11 / 76
Increase 4 Opposition
1949 500,349 10.8
19 / 121
Increase 8 Coalition
1951 443,713 9.7
17 / 121
Decrease 2 Coalition
1954 388,171 8.5
17 / 121
Steady 0 Coalition
1955 347,445 7.9
18 / 122
Increase 1 Coalition
1958 John McEwen 465,320 9.3
19 / 122
Increase 1 Coalition
1961 446,475 8.5
17 / 122
Decrease 2 Coalition
1963 489,498 8.9
20 / 122
Increase 3 Coalition
1966 561,926 9.8
21 / 124
Increase 1 Coalition
1969 523,232 8.5
20 / 125
Decrease 1 Coalition
1972 Doug Anthony 622,826 9.4
20 / 125
Steady 0 Opposition
1974 736,252 9.9
21 / 127
Increase 1 Opposition
1975 869,919 11.2
23 / 127
Increase 2 Coalition
1977 793,444 10.0
19 / 124
Decrease 4 Coalition
1980 745,037 8.9
20 / 125
Increase 1 Coalition
1983 799,609 9.2
17 / 125
Decrease 3 Opposition
1984 Ian Sinclair 921,151 10.6
21 / 148
Increase 4 Opposition
1987 1,060,976 11.5
19 / 148
Decrease 2 Opposition
1990 Charles Blunt 833,557 8.4
14 / 148
Decrease 5 Opposition
1993 Tim Fischer 758,036 7.1
16 / 147
Increase 2 Opposition
1996 893,170 7.1
18 / 148
Increase 2 Coalition
1998 588,088 5.2
16 / 148
Decrease 2 Coalition
2001 John Anderson 643,926 5.6
13 / 150
Decrease 3 Coalition
2004 690,275 5.8
12 / 150
Decrease 1 Coalition
2007 Mark Vaile 682,424 5.4
10 / 150
Decrease 2 Opposition
2010 Warren Truss 419,286 3.4
12 / 150
Increase 2 Opposition
2013 554,268 4.2
15 / 150
Increase 3 Coalition
2016 Barnaby Joyce 624,555 4.6
16 / 150
Increase 1 Coalition
2019 Michael McCormack 642,233 4.5
16 / 151
Steady 0 Coalition
2022 Barnaby Joyce 528,442 3.6
16 / 151
Steady 0 Opposition

Leadership

This section lists the people who have led the National Party of Australia.

List of Leaders

# Leader Term start Term end Time in office Notes
1 WMcWilliams.JPG McWilliams, WilliamWilliam McWilliams 24 February 1920 5 April 1921 1 year, 40 days
2 Earle Page.jpg Page, EarleEarle Page 5 April 1921 13 September 1939 18 years, 161 days Prime Minister: 1939
Deputy PM: 1923–29, 1934–39
3 Archie Cameron 1940.jpg Cameron, ArchieArchie Cameron 13 September 1939 16 October 1940 1 year, 33 days Deputy PM: 1940
4 Arthur Fadden.jpg Fadden, ArthurArthur Fadden 16 October 1940
acting until
12 March 1941
12 March 1958 17 years, 147 days Prime Minister: 1941
Deputy PM: 1940–41, 1949–58
5 Sir John McEwen.jpg McEwen, JohnJohn McEwen 26 March 1958 1 February 1971 12 years, 312 days Prime Minister: 1967–68
Deputy PM: 1958–67, 1968–71
6 Doug Anthony.jpg Anthony, DougDoug Anthony 2 February 1971 17 January 1984 12 years, 349 days Deputy PM: 1971–72, 1975–83
7 Ian Sinclair 1970 (cropped).jpg Sinclair, IanIan Sinclair 17 January 1984 9 May 1989 5 years, 112 days
8 Blunt, CharlesCharles Blunt 9 May 1989 6 April 1990 332 days
9 Tim Fischer.jpg Fischer, TimTim Fischer 19 April 1990 1 July 1999 9 years, 73 days Deputy PM: 1996–99
10 John Anderson at Newstead (cropped).jpg Anderson, JohnJohn Anderson 1 July 1999 23 June 2005 5 years, 357 days Deputy PM: 1999–2005
11 Mark Vaile (TM).jpg Vaile, MarkMark Vaile 23 June 2005 3 December 2007 2 years, 163 days Deputy PM: 2005–07
12 Warren Truss Portrait 2010.jpg Truss, WarrenWarren Truss 7 December 2007 11 February 2016 8 years, 66 days Deputy PM: 2013–16
13 Barnaby Joyce portrait.jpg Joyce, BarnabyBarnaby Joyce 11 February 2016 26 February 2018 2 years, 14 days Deputy PM: 2016–18
14 Michael McCormack 2018-02 (cropped).jpg McCormack, MichaelMichael McCormack 26 February 2018 21 June 2021 3 years, 116 days Deputy PM: 2018–21
(13) Barnaby Joyce portrait.jpg Joyce, BarnabyBarnaby Joyce 21 June 2021 30 May 2022 343 days Deputy PM: 2021–22
15 David Littleproud.jpg Littleproud, DavidDavid Littleproud 30 May 2022 Incumbent 3 years, 34 days

List of Deputy Leaders

Order Name Term start Term end Time in office Leader
1 Jowett, EdmundEdmund Jowett 24 February 1920 5 April 1921 1 year, 40 days McWilliams
2 Henry Gregory 5 April 1921 2 December 1921 241 days Page
vacant 23 February 1922 27 June 1922
3 William Fleming 27 June 1922 16 January 1923 203 days
4 William Gibson 16 January 1923 19 November 1929 6 years, 307 days
5 Thomas Paterson 19 November 1929 27 November 1937 8 years, 8 days
6 Harold Thorby 2 years, 262 days
27 November 1937 15 October 1940 Cameron
7 Arthur Fadden 15 October 1940 12 March 1941 148 days vacant
vacant 12 March 1941 22 September 1943 Fadden
8 John McEwen 22 September 1943 26 March 1958 14 years, 185 days
9 Charles Davidson 26 March 1958 11 December 1963 5 years, 260 days McEwen
10 Charles Adermann 11 December 1963 8 December 1966 2 years, 362 days
11 Doug Anthony 8 December 1966 2 February 1971 4 years, 56 days
12 Ian Sinclair 2 February 1971 17 January 1984 12 years, 349 days Anthony
13 Ralph Hunt 17 January 1984 24 July 1987 3 years, 188 days Sinclair
14 Bruce Lloyd 5 years, 242 days
24 July 1987 23 March 1993 Blunt
Fischer
15 John Anderson 23 March 1993 1 July 1999 6 years, 100 days
16 Mark Vaile 1 July 1999 23 June 2005 5 years, 357 days Anderson
17 Warren Truss 23 June 2005 3 December 2007 2 years, 163 days Vaile
18 Nigel Scullion 3 December 2007 13 September 2013 5 years, 284 days Truss
19 Barnaby Joyce 13 September 2013 11 February 2016 2 years, 151 days
20 Fiona Nash 11 February 2016 7 December 2017 1 year, 299 days Joyce
21 Bridget McKenzie 7 December 2017 2 February 2020
2 years, 57 days McCormack
22 David Littleproud 2 years, 115 days
4 February 2020 30 May 2022 Joyce
23 Perin Davey 30 May 2022 Incumbent 3 years, 34 days Littleproud

List of Senate Leaders

The Country Party's first Senators started their terms in 1926. However, the party did not have an official leader in the Senate until 1935. Before that, they had a "representative" if needed. This was so Senators could speak freely and not be told what to do by a party leader. On October 3, 1935, Charles Hardy was elected as the first "Leader of the Country Party in the Senate." After Hardy's term ended in 1938, the party did not elect another Senate leader until 1949. This was likely because they had very few Senators.

Unlike the leader in the House of Representatives, the Senate leader has not always been part of the government's main group of ministers.

# Name Term start Term end Time in office Deputy
1 Hardy, CharlesCharles Hardy 10 October 1935 30 June 1938 2 years, 263 days
vacant 30 June 1938 1949
2 Cooper, WalterWalter Cooper 1949 1960
3 Wade, HarrieHarrie Wade 1961 1964
4 McKellar, ColinColin McKellar 1964 1969
5 Drake-Brockman, TomTom Drake-Brockman 1969 1975
6 Webster, JamesJames Webster 1976 1980
7 Scott, DouglasDouglas Scott February 1980 30 June 1985
8 Collard, StanStan Collard 1 July 1985 5 June 1987 1 year, 339 days
9 Stone, JohnJohn Stone 21 August 1987 1 March 1990 2 years, 192 days
10 Boswell, RonRon Boswell 10 April 1990 3 December 2007 17 years, 237 days Sandy Macdonald
11 Scullion, NigelNigel Scullion 3 December 2007 17 September 2008 289 days Ron Boswell
12 Joyce, BarnabyBarnaby Joyce 17 September 2008 8 August 2013 4 years, 325 days Fiona Nash
(11) Scullion, NigelNigel Scullion 8 August 2013 28 May 2019 5 years, 293 days
13 McKenzie, BridgetBridget McKenzie 28 May 2019 incumbent 6 years, 36 days Matt Canavan

Past Government and Opposition Leaders

This section lists National Party members who have held important leadership roles in government or opposition.

Federal Leaders

Name Role Term
Earle Page Prime Minister 7 April 1939 – 26 April 1939
Arthur Fadden Prime Minister 29 August 1941 – 7 October 1941
Leader of the Opposition 7 October 1941 – 23 September 1943
John McEwen Prime Minister 19 December 1967 – 10 January 1968

Queensland Leaders

Name Role Term
William Vowles Leader of the Opposition 28 July 1920 – 11 July 1923
Arthur Moore Leader of the Opposition 19 April 1924 – 12 May 1925
7 April 1936 – 15 July 1936
Ted Maher Leader of the Opposition 15 July 1936 – 21 May 1941
Frank Nicklin Leader of the Opposition 21 May 1941 – 12 August 1957
Premier 12 August 1957 – 17 January 1968
Jack Pizzey Premier 17 January 1968 – 31 July 1968
Joh Bjelke-Petersen Premier 8 August 1968 – 1 December 1987
Mike Ahern Premier 1 December 1987 – 25 September 1989
Russell Cooper Premier 25 September 1989 – 7 December 1989
Leader of the Opposition 7 December 1989 – 9 December 1991
Rob Borbidge Leader of the Opposition 10 December 1991 – 19 February 1996
Premier 19 February 1996 – 20 June 1998
Leader of the Opposition 20 June 1998 – 2 March 2001
Mike Horan Leader of the Opposition 2 March 2001 – 4 February 2003
Lawrence Springborg Leader of the Opposition 4 February 2003 – 18 September 2006
Jeff Seeney Leader of the Opposition 18 September 2006 – 29 January 2008
Lawrence Springborg Leader of the Opposition 29 January 2008 – 26 July 2008

Victoria Leaders

Name Role Term
John Allan Premier 18 November 1924 – 20 May 1927
Albert Dunstan Premier 2 April 1935 – 14 September 1943
Leader of the Opposition 14 September 1943 – 18 September 1943
Premier 18 September 1943 – 2 October 1945
John McDonald Leader of the Opposition 21 November 1945 – 20 November 1947
7 December 1948 – 27 June 1950
Premier 27 June 1950 – 28 October 1952
31 October 1952 – 17 December 1952

Western Australia Leaders

Name Role Term
Charles Latham Leader of the Opposition 24 April 1933 – 8 October 1942
Arthur Watts Leader of the Opposition 8 October 1942 – 1 April 1947
Mia Davies Leader of the Opposition 14 April 2021 – 30 January 2023
Shane Love Leader of the Opposition 30 January 2023 – present

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Partido Nacional de Australia para niños

  • Young Nationals (Australia)
  • Leader of the New South Wales National Party
  • Katter's Australian Party
  • National Party of Australia leadership spill, 2007
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