David Littleproud is an Australian politician who has served as the Leader of the National Party of Australia since May 2022 and represents the Queensland electorate of Maranoa in the House of Representatives since 2016. Born in Chinchilla, Queensland, in 1976, Littleproud comes from a rural background and worked as an agribusiness banker before entering politics. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree and spent over a decade in banking, specializing in agricultural finance, which provided him with extensive knowledge of rural and regional economic issues that would later inform his political career.
Littleproud's political ascent was rapid following his election to parliament. He served as Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources from 2017 to 2022 under the Morrison Government, where he oversaw significant agricultural policy initiatives including drought response measures, water management reforms, and trade negotiations affecting Australian farmers. During his tenure as Agriculture Minister, he played a key role in managing Australia's response to various biosecurity threats and worked to expand agricultural export markets, particularly in Asia. He also served briefly as Minister for Northern Australia in 2022. Following the Coalition's defeat in the 2022 federal election, Littleproud successfully challenged Barnaby Joyce for the National Party leadership, positioning himself as a more moderate voice within the party.
As National Party Leader, Littleproud has emphasized the need for the party to broaden its appeal while maintaining its core focus on rural and regional Australia. His policy priorities include supporting agricultural innovation and sustainability, improving infrastructure in regional areas, and advocating for practical climate change policies that balance environmental concerns with economic realities for rural communities. He has taken notably more progressive positions on some social issues compared to his predecessors, including supporting Indigenous constitutional recognition and showing openness to renewable energy projects in regional areas, while maintaining the party's traditional stance on supporting mining and agricultural industries.