Littleproud will use Federal Council to say Nationals are setting national policy agenda

Nationals delegates are pushing the rural party to debate halving the fuel excise, supporting government ownership of REX Airlines and exempting foreign backpackers from superannuation.

Nationals leader David Littleproud addresses the National Farmers' Federation rally at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: Martin Ollman/NewsWire

Nationals delegates from across the country will try to set new policy goals for the rural party by putting up motions calling for a halving of the fuel excise, a government acquisition of Regional Express Airlines and an exemption of foreign backpackers from superannuation.

A total of 77 motions have been listed for debate at the Nationals 2024 Federal Council being held in Canberra this weekend, although sources told The Weekend Australian it was unlikely there would be enough time to debate even half of them.

Some motions include a push by NSW delegates for the Nationals Federal Council to call for “political donations from trade unions and public superannuation funds to be made illegal”.

While the parliamentary party would not be bound by any policy motions, the Federal Council offers a chance for Nationals MPs and those in leadership positions to listen to the members.

Nationals Leader David Littleproud said he would use his address to the forum on Saturday morning to deliver a rallying call to members and argue that the ­regional party had “really set the political agenda over the past 2½ years.”

He will discuss the cost-of-­living crisis, the need for sensible energy policy, greater gas supply, easier access to childcare in the bush, and regional health.

Mr Littleproud said it was about “setting out the direction for the upcoming election” – but he will also claim that the Nationals were wielding greater policy influence within the Coalition.

“We started with the voice. We led the debate on nuclear and started that. And then around sensible reforms to vaping policy to protect children,” he said. “And also obviously around divestiture and competition policy.”

In July, Anthony Albanese attacked the Coalition over its proposal for a forced divestiture power for larger grocery and hardware retailers as an abrogation of Liberal Party principles, accusing the opposition of outsourcing economic policy development to the Nationals.

“Menzies tried to ban the Communist Party; they want to adopt the Communist Party model,” Mr Albanese told parliament at the time. “They want publicly owned energy through nuclear energy … and now they want, one would assume, publicly owned supermarkets. It’s not so much a super­market policy as a super-Marxist policy.”

Nationals Senate leader Bridget McKenzie will also address the Federal Council and reject criticisms of populism. “The success of the Nationals is not predicated on being a populist party but, rather, by being un-populist,” Senator McKenzie said. “We still stand against powerful vested interests and for our local communities. Our policy success is proof of the critical role we play in Australia’s democracy.”

Some of the other motions listed for debate at Federal Council include a push from NSW delegates for a “full and detailed comprehensive audit of the running and expenditure associated with the National Indigenous Australian Agency”.

NSW is also pushing for the Nationals in government to “reinstate the definitions of ‘sex’, ‘male/man’ and ‘female/woman’ … into the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 and remove the term ‘gender identity’ from the legislation”.

The NSW Young Nationals will push for the government to “halve the excise on fuel” and “end indexation of fuel excise”, while Queensland delegates will ask for the Nationals to “exempt foreign backpackers from superannuation”.

The Young Nationals will also call for the government to “purchase Regional Express Airlines”.