 | This article's subject isstanding for re-election to theAustralian House of Representatives on 3 May, and has not been an MP since thedissolution of the house on 28 March. This article may be out of date during this period. Feel free toimprove it (updates without reliable references will be removed) or discuss changes on thetalk page. |
David Littleproud | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2021 | |
| Leader of the National Party | |
| Assumed office 30 May 2022 | |
| Deputy | Perin Davey |
| Preceded by | Barnaby Joyce |
| Deputy Leader of the National Party | |
| In office 4 February 2020 – 30 May 2022 | |
| Leader | Michael McCormack Barnaby Joyce |
| Preceded by | Bridget McKenzie |
| Succeeded by | Perin Davey |
| Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia | |
| In office 2 July 2021 – 23 May 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | Scott Morrison |
| Preceded by | Himself (Agriculture) Keith Pitt (Northern Australia) |
| Succeeded by | Madeleine King (Northern Australia) Murray Watt (Agriculture) |
| Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management | |
| In office 6 February 2020 – 2 July 2021 | |
| Prime Minister | Scott Morrison |
| Preceded by | Bridget McKenzie (Agriculture) Himself (Drought and Emergency Management) |
| Succeeded by | Himself (Agriculture) Bridget McKenzie (Emergency Management) |
| Minister for Water Resources, Drought, Rural Finance, Natural Disaster and Emergency Management | |
| In office 29 May 2019 – 6 February 2020 | |
| Prime Minister | Scott Morrison |
| Preceded by | Himself (Water Resources) Linda Reynolds (Emergency Management) |
| Succeeded by | Keith Pitt (Water) |
| Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources | |
| In office 20 December 2017 – 29 May 2019 | |
| Prime Minister | Malcolm Turnbull Scott Morrison |
| Preceded by | Barnaby Joyce |
| Succeeded by | Bridget McKenzie (Agriculture) Himself (Water Resources) |
| Member of theHouse of Representatives forMaranoa | |
| Assumed office 2 July 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Bruce Scott |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1976-09-04)4 September 1976 (age 48) Chinchilla, Queensland, Australia |
| Political party | Nationals (federal) LNP (state) |
| Other political affiliations | Liberal-National Coalition |
| Parent |
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| Education | Chinchilla State High School Toowoomba Grammar School |
| Occupation | Rural banker |
David Kelly Littleproud (born 4 September 1976) is an Australian politician who has been the leader of theNational Party since May 2022. He has represented theQueensland seat ofMaranoa since the2016 federal election and was a cabinet minister in theTurnbull andMorrison governments.
Littleproud grew up inChinchilla, Queensland, the son of former state government ministerBrian Littleproud. He worked as anagribusiness banker withNAB andSuncorp before entering politics. He was first elected to theHouse of Representatives in 2016. Littleproud was appointed to cabinet the following year, subsequently serving as Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources (2017–2019), Water Resources, Drought, Rural Finance, Natural Disaster and Emergency Management (2019–2020), Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management (2020–2021), and Agriculture and Northern Australia (2021–2022). He was elected deputy leader of the Nationals in February 2020 underMichael McCormack. He retained the position underBarnaby Joyce andsuccessfully challenged Joyce for the leadership following theCoalition's defeat at the2022 election.
Littleproud was born on 4 September 1976 inChinchilla, Queensland.[1] His grandfather George Littleproud served on theChinchilla Shire Council, while his fatherBrian Littleproud was a state Nationals MP and government minister.[2] After entering parliament himself he recalled that he had handed out political flyers for his father from the age of six.[3]
Littleproud attended Chinchilla State High School andToowoomba Grammar School.[4] As a teenager he worked as a "cotton chipper", removing weeds from cotton fields.[1] As of 2019, he was one of the two members of the national cabinet who had no tertiary qualification.[5]
Littleproud was an agribusiness banker before entering politics.[6] He spent 17 years with theNational Australia Bank (NAB), including 12 years based inWarwick, Queensland, as district manager (agribusiness and commercial). He joinedSuncorp in 2011 as executive manager (business and agribusiness banking) for South West Queensland.[7] As of 2018[update], Littleproud was the owner of Mr Rental Southern Downs, a rent-to-buy business that employed four people.[8]
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In October 2015, Littleproud waspreselected by theLiberal National Party of Queensland as the party's candidate in the federal seat ofMaranoa, following the retirement of incumbent Nationals MPBruce Scott.[9] He retained Maranoa for the National Party at the2016 federal election.[6]
Within 18 months, Littleproud was elevated directly to cabinet as Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, following a reshuffle of thesecond Turnbull ministry. He was sworn in at Government House in Canberra on 20 December 2017.[10][11]
In November 2018, Littleproud was additionally appointed Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Drought Preparation and Response. Following the Morrison government's return at the2019 federal election, his title was changed to Minister for Water Resources, Drought, Rural Finance, Natural Disaster and Emergency Management. He re-assumed the agriculture portfolio followingBridget McKenzie's resignation in February 2020 following theSports rorts affair (2020), becoming Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management.[1]
Littleproud was viewed as a potentialcandidate to replaceBarnaby Joyce as National Party leader in February 2018. The position was eventually won byMichael McCormack.[12] On 4 February 2020, followingBridget McKenzie’s resignation, he defeatedKeith Pitt andDavid Gillespie to become deputy leader of the National Party.[13][14] The ballot for the deputy leadership was held simultaneously witha leadership spill in which McCormack defeated a challenge by Joyce. It was subsequently suggested that Littleproud could emerge as a compromise candidate if conflict continues between supporters of McCormack and Joyce.
Littleproud challenged incumbent Nationals Party leader Barnaby Joyce along withDarren Chester in athree-way contest for the leadership of the party on 30 May 2022, after the incumbent Coalition government lost office to the Labor opposition at the2022 federal election. The Nationals increased their parliamentary numbers at the election, however Joyce's unpopularity in metropolitan electorates was attributed as a factor in the loss of some Liberal seats.[15][16] Littleproud was elected to replace Joyce as leader of the National Party, withPerin Davey as deputy. The Nationals, per longstanding policy, did not release the results.
Following his election as Nationals leader, Littleproud assumed the agriculture portfolio inPeter Dutton'sshadow cabinet.[1]
On 14 February 2018,Labor and theGreens voted to disallow a mechanism in theMurray Darling Basin Plan that would reduce the amount of water being returned to the environment in the northern basin.[17]
The disallowance motion triggered a crisis in basin states whenNew South Wales andVictoria pledged to abandon the Plan as a result. It was widely considered the withdrawal of the two largest states would see the Basin Plan dismantled after it had taken more than a century to strike the agreement.[18] On 7 May 2018, in the lead up to a second disallowance motion that would have blocked 36 environmental water savings projects, Littleproud struck a deal with Labor that both secured the works in question and the 70GL recovery reduction for Northern Basin farmers which had previously been disallowed. This effectively resurrected the Murray-Darling Basin Plan by reassuring Basin states the Plan would be fulfilled as agreed in 2012.[19] In addition to securing the Basin Plan, Littleproud delivered enhanced protections for Aboriginal people in the Basin. This included an Indigenous position on the MDBA board and a world-first $40 million indigenous fund so Aboriginal communities could buy water for either cultural or economic purposes.[20]
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Littleproud successfully negotiated with the Senate crossbench for passage of legislation establishing the Regional Investment Corporation. On 6 February 2018 the new laws passed the Senate,[21] breaking a political deadlock that had dragged on months. On 16 May 2018 it was announced that the RIC's headquarters would be set up inOrange, New South Wales.[22]
In December 2017, Littleproud was one of four members of the House of Representatives to vote against theMarriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017, which legalised same-sex marriage in Australia.[23] Littleproud had pledged to vote according to the majority response of his electorate ofMaranoa in theAustralian Marriage Law Postal Survey, and Maranoa recorded a result of 56.1% against changing the definition of marriage.[24]
In 2023 he called onOne Nation leaderPauline Hanson to take action againstMark Latham (One Nation's leader inNew South Wales at the time) fora tweet that contained vulgar andhomophobic language targeted atAlex Greenwich, a gay man who is theindependent member forSydney.[25]
After President Donald Trump signedan executive order which stated that the United States federal government will only recognize two genders, male and female, Littleproud called on Australia to adopt a similar policy.Peter Dutton dismissed Littleproud's comments saying that the LNP "does not have any plans to change [their] position in relation to that issue."[26]
In 2018, Littleproud told The Guardian “I believe the climate is changing. Whether it is manmade or not, I don’t really care,” however by 2023 Littleproud described renewable energy as a ‘virus’ and criticised theAlbanese government of running a “reckless race” toward renewables.[27] Littleproud has voted consistently against greater action on climate change, including against net zero emission agreements and the Paris Climate Agreement.[28]
In June 2024, Littleproud opposed the establishment of a wind farm offshore off the Illawarra, and committed to a ‘cap’ on renewable energy investment under a Liberal-National government.[29]
Littleproud has three children. He and his wife Sarah announced their separation in 2019, ending a 20-year marriage.[30]
David Littleproud will become Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources. He will bring to the role two decades of experience in agribusiness before he joined parliament.
| Parliament of Australia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member forMaranoa 2016–present | Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources 2017–2019 | Succeeded by Bridget McKenzie (Agriculture) Himself (Water Resources) |
| Preceded by Himself as Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources | Minister for Water Resources 2019–2020 | Succeeded byasMinister for Resources andWater |
| Preceded by Bridget McKenzie (Agriculture) Himself (Water Resources) | Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management 2020–2021 | Succeeded by Himself (Agriculture) Bridget McKenzie (Emergency Management) |
| Preceded by Himself (Agriculture) Keith Pitt (Northern Australia) | Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia 2021–2022 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Deputy Leader of theNational Party 2020–2022 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Leader of theNational Party 2022–present | Incumbent |
Prime Minister:Malcolm Turnbull | ||
| Cabinet |  | |
| Outer Ministry | ||
| Assistant Ministers | ||
| Resigned | ||
Prime Minister:Scott Morrison | ||
| Cabinet |
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| Outer Ministry | ||
| Assistant Ministers | ||
| Resigned | ||
Prime Minister:Scott Morrison | ||
| Cabinet |  | |
| Outer Ministry | ||
| Assistant Ministers | ||
| Dismissed/resigned | ||