Barnaby Joyce has been dumped by the federal Nationals, and there’s a new boyfriend in town. On March 30, David Littleproud became the next leader of this group after a party room vote. After winning, the ABC reported that Littleproud said, “The National Party today starts its journey towards 2025, with a vibrant team, ready to articulate the policies that are important to regional and rural Australia, but also to draw on the experience of two former deputy prime ministers in Barnaby Joyce and Michael McCormack.”
But if you’ve never heard of this Littleproud fellow, you might be wondering what he’s all about. And more importantly, you might be wondering how he votes. Which is exactly why the following paragraphs exist!
A Good Call and a Yikes Belief
Throughout the years, Littleproud has been the centre of the media’s attention for numerous reasons. Sometimes, he’s been lauded for his actions, like when he called out a live animal export trade. In 2018, Nine News detailed that around 3000 sheep had died while sailing from Perth to the Middle East. Littleproud, who was Agriculture Minister at the time, said that he was “shocked and gutted” by this fact. He additionally stated, “This cannot go on. If you are doing the wrong thing, you are going to get nailed.” His government demanded that an investigation into this event be conducted.
However, sometimes Littleproud has gotten the facts completely wrong. In 2019, he told David Speers in a Sky News interview that he had no idea whether or not climate change is man-made. According to News.com.au, when Littleproud was pressed to defend this position, he said, “I am not a scientist. I haven’t made an opinion one way or the other, but I don’t think it really matters.”
These statements were discussed at the time by publications such as SBS and blasted by the opposition. The then Shadow Agriculture and Resources Minister, Joel Fitzgibbon declared, “The climate is changing and human activity is making a contribution so it’s pretty hard to expect any meaningful action from a government when the person in charge of drought strategy is a climate change denier.”
How This Bloke Votes
As a National, it’s probably not a surprise that Littleproud has consistently voted to make more water from the Murray-Darling Basin accessible for use. He also votes like a classic conservative. As per They Vote For You, Littleproud has systematically voted for getting rid of Sunday penalty rates, reducing corporation’s tax rates, and drug testing people who need welfare. Moreover, Littleproud and Joyce are in 100% lock-step agreement in how they vote.
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