NSW Nationals leader Dugald Saunders steps down from top job
The leader of the Nationals in the NSW parliament has announced he is stepping down as the party’s leader, saying he wants to “focus more on family”.
NSW Nationals leader Dugald Saunders has announced his immediate resignation from the party’s top job.
Mr Saunders, the MP for Dubbo, had led the state parliamentary party room since May 2023.
“For the past two and a half years I have had the privilege of leading the NSW Nationals - today I am stepping down from that position,” Mr Saunders said in a statement.
“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.
“I will continue to serve the people of the Dubbo electorate as their local member,” Mr Saunders added.
Mr Saunders won the leadership over Paul Toole after the last state election.
Mr Toole would be an obvious contender for the leadership position, while The Daily Telegraph understands MPs Gurmesh Singh and Steph Cooke will both be in the mix.
Opposition leader Mark Speakman paid tribute to Mr Saunders in a statement on Monday, describing him as a “tireless advocate for the Dubbo electorate and regional NSW.”
“People still remember him from calling the Sydney Olympics and his years on ABC Radio, giving locals a voice across the west,” he said.
“I met Dugald several times when he was the morning broadcaster for ABC Western Plains, notable for his fairness, intelligence and warmth.
“When he entered politics, those strengths as a broadcaster readily moved across. I’ve valued very much his steady, collegiate and constructive counsel and diligence when we were Ministers together and later as Party leaders together.”
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