DRUM: Well thank you everyone for being here this morning. The National Party have just
conducted the ballot for both the position of leader and deputy leader of the National
Party at the federal level. The leader's position was won by Mr Michael McCormack, and the deputy
leader's position has been elected to David Littleproud. Without any further ado, I'll
hand over to the leader. REPORTER: [INAUDIBLE QUESTION]
DRUM: You'll never find out. MCCORMACK: It's a great honour and a privilege
to continue to serve as the leader of the National Party. Ir-I congratulate David Littleproud
for his election to the Deputy Leader's position. Also, I look forward to working and continuing
to work with Barnaby Joyce, who put his hand up for the leadership. I also continue to
look forward to working with Keith Pitt and David Gillespie, who put their hands up for
the Deputy Leader's role. Never before has there been such an important time for the
National Party to continue the representation we've done for 100 years. It's the challenge
that is there. Of course, with the fires, with the ongoing drought. I commend David
Littleproud as the newly elected Deputy Leader for the role he played this very worrying
and troubling summer in drought, in bushfires and everything else that has beset regional
Australia. We will continue as a united team, to put the people of regional Australia first
and foremost. I want to thank my colleagues for again placing their faith in me. I also
want to acknowledge that regional Australians are out there hurting. They are and we will
be there for them. Their interests are our interests. First and foremost. I have never
shied from the responsibility of making sure that every waking minute of every day I work
hard for regional Australians, as does David, as does the entire National Party team. We
will continue to serve in a very good government. We have been very responsive to the needs
and wants and expectations this summer and particularly for regional Australia. I might
get David to make a few remarks and thenally be happy to take questions.
LITTLEPROUD: Thanks, Michael. This is a proud day for me. I joined this great party 22 years
ago, in my electorate, the little town of Stanthorpe. I believe very much in the values
of the National Party. This is about hope, this is about vision for our people in regional
and rural Australia. This is about now back to business. The shenanigans are over, it's
time to get back to looking after those people that are facing drought, that have faced up
to the fires. It's time for us to focus on them, not us. The party has to focus on that.
We will, we have a commitment from everyone in the room, that we have a responsibility
as being elected from regional and rural Australia, to stand here to be their hope in Canberra,
to be able to articulate clearly their needs and wants and their desires because regional
and rural Australia has a great future. The story of regional and rural Australia and
particularly of agriculture is just to have rain. Itwill rain. We shouldn't talk ourselves
down. There's been too much of that. We're doing it tough, yes, in some parts but we
will through and it's important we have a policy framework to support our future and
those that we have lost over many generations. We've lost too many young people out of regional
and rural Australia, it's time to bring them home, time for them to believe in regional
Australia and the National Party is party to lead them.
REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE QUESTION) REPORTER: Watching the Nationals come back to parliament on the
first day, having this leadership contest instead of focusing on the other things?
MCCORMACK: We have your back, whether it's drought, we have your back whether it's building
new dam infrastructure We have your back whether it's dealing with the bushfires and everything
else that is regional Australia. Regional Australia has a bright future. We will be
there to ensure the right policies and the right infrastructures in the place to realise
the potential of the future.
REPORTER: Will Matt Canavan return to parliament?
MCCORMACK: Matt Canavan has resigned as Resources Minister, I wish him the best.
REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE QUESTION) ?
MCCORMACK: I'd like to think the entire National Party team, and I know they will now unite.
We had way too much media speculation, way too much speculation in general, about the
leadership role. It's time to put all that to bed. I would also say to the media - sometimes,
I think, that there's been media speculation heightened only by stories that were, quite
frankly, untrue, quite frankly, backgrounding, if they're not prepared to put their name
to it, I don't understand why it actually makes the paper. If people are going to be
- I've been up-front - if ever I said anything to to a journalist, I asked them to put my
name to it. That's the way I am and that's the way I think we need to go forward. We
need to unite, we will unite. The people of regional Australia come first, not us. We're
sent here to do the job and we will do that.
REPORTER: Who do you think was saying that? Do you think it's Barnaby putting his name
to that?
MCCORMACK: The fact is, I shook hands with Barnaby. We will move on. We will move on
and work hard together. He and I, and the rest of the National Party team, for regional
Australia - that is what regional Australians expect, what they deserve and why they will
get.
REPORTER: Did you ask him if he will challenge again?
MCCORMACK: No, I don't expect him to. I've been endorsed as leader. I was endorsed as
leader when we came back here after the May election last year I was endorsed as leader
when he stood down in 2018. That's three times in less than
two years. I think that is enough to warrant me leading the party going forward.
REPORTER: Your colleagues...
MCCORMACK: No, look... Well, I've got to say, when the first time I stood for the leadership
after Barnaby Joyce resigned in February 2018, Christensen stood. I don't know the result
still of that. National Party votes were never revealed. The whip knows and that's been the
convention of the National Party, a party, I might say that's been going for 100 years
of secret ballots.
REPORTER: The Nationals have distracted on a day that's meant to be dedicated...
MCCORMACK: I think we need to draw a line in the sand and concentrate on the fire victims.
There's been many who have lost loved ones. Our thoughts go to them. There's been many
who lost their businesses, their homes, lost their farms. That's the people we're going
to be concentrating on. I think today is a day where we reflect upon those. We trait
on what we need to do for the recovery efforts, the relief efforts and providing, continuing
to provide, the assistance we have already done and to that end, I know the Government
has acted very responsibly, very quickly, to help those fire victims and we will continue
to do that. This clean-up is not going to take weeks or months, it's going to take years.
The National Party, the Government l be there for those people. Thank you very much.