NSW Nationals leader Dugald Saunders has abruptly resigned from the top job, stunning colleagues and adding fresh turbulence to a Coalition already rattled by internal climate policy tensions.
The Dubbo MP announced his departure via a media release on Monday, offering no interviews and giving little advance warning to colleagues.
“It’s a difficult decision but it is the right time for me to take a step back and focus more on my family and myself,” he said.
“It’s also the right time to allow a new leader to take up the fight ahead of the next election.”
The next NSW election is in 2027.
Mr Saunders said it had been an “honour” to lead the parliamentary party through a “challenging time in opposition”, and confirmed he would continue serving as the local member for Dubbo.
He took on the leadership in 2023 after defeating former deputy premier Paul Toole in a party room ballot, and in recent weeks has been a prominent voice on youth crime, the Great Koala National Park, and flood recovery efforts.
His resignation caps off a tense fortnight for the Nationals after the state party gave in principle support to the federal Nationals’ push to abandon the 2050 net zero emissions target. That position is at odds with their state Liberal counterparts, who continue to back the commitment.
Nationals MPs will gather in Sydney on Tuesday as parliament resumes, though it remains unclear whether a new leader will be appointed immediately. Potential contenders include Cootamundra MP Steph Cooke and Coffs Harbour MP Gurmesh Singh.
Opposition Leader Mark Speakman praised Mr Saunders as a “champion for his Dubbo electorate” whose strengths as a broadcaster before entering politics translated into “steady, collegiate and constructive counsel” within the Coalition.
Former deputy prime minister Michael McCormack also thanked him for his work, saying he knew “how passionate he is about country people and regional outcomes”.
The timing of the resignation adds further instability for the NSW opposition as the federal Liberal Party faces its own internal battles.
In Canberra, moderate Liberals have spent the week publicly shoring up support for leader Sussan Ley after a damaging dispute over climate policy and speculation of a potential challenge from Western Australian MP Andrew Hastie.
A weekend report suggested moderates had withdrawn their backing and would support Mr Hastie if a spill were brought on, but leading moderates Anne Ruston and Maria Kovacic rejected that suggestion.
“Media reports this morning about the moderates are incorrect,” they said in a joint statement. “We, along with an overwhelming majority of our moderate colleagues, continue to strongly support Sussan’s leadership.”
Ms Ley, who had previously supported Australia’s climate targets, has faced criticism for promising to scrap them if elected, a shift seen as a major concession to conservative factions.
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