| National Party of Australia – N.S.W. | |
| Ideology: |
|
| Leader1 Title: | Leader |
| Leader1 Name: | Dugald Saunders |
| Leader2 Title: | Deputy Leader |
| Leader2 Name: | Bronnie Taylor |
| Position: | Centre-right |
| Headquarters: | 107 Pitt Street, Sydney |
| Membership: | 3,036 |
| Membership Year: | 2020 |
| Predecessor: | Progressive Party |
| Youth Wing: | Young Nationals |
| National: | Federal Nationals |
| Slogan: | "It's Your Time" |
| Colours: | Green and Yellow |
| Seats1 Title: | Legislative Assembly |
| Seats2 Title: | Legislative Council |
| Seats3 Title: | House of Representatives |
| Seats3: | (NSW seats) |
| Seats4 Title: | Senate |
| Seats4: | (NSW seats) |
| Seats5 Title: | Port Macquarie-Hastings Council |
| Country: | Australia |
The National Party of Australia – N.S.W., commonly known as "The Nationals" or the NSW Nationals, is a political party in New South Wales which forms the state branch of the federal Nationals and has traditionally represented graziers, farmers, and rural voters generally.
The party has generally been the junior partner in a centre-right Coalition with the NSW branch of the Liberal Party of Australia. Since 1927, the Nationals have been in Coalition with the Liberals and their predecessors, the Nationalist Party of Australia (1927–1931), the United Australia Party (1931–1943), and the Democratic Party (1943–1945). During periods of conservative government, the leader of the Nationals also serves as Deputy Premier of New South Wales. When the conservatives are in opposition, the Liberal and National parties usually form a joint opposition bench. New South Wales is the only state where the Coalition has never been broken, and yet has not merged into a unified non-Labor party.
The movement began as the Progressive Party, from the 1922 split until 1925. It then used the name the Country Party until 1977, when it became the National Country Party. The party's name was changed to the National Party of Australia in 1982.
As a measure of the Coalition's then-solidity in NSW, the Liberals won enough seats to theoretically govern alone during the Coalition's massive landslide at the 2011 state election. However, new Premier Barry O'Farrell kept the Nationals in his government.
In 2018, the party revealed that approximately 30 members of its youth wing were being investigated for alleged links to neo-Nazism. Federal Nationals leader Michael McCormack denounced these attempts stating that: "The Nationals will not tolerate extremism or the politics of hate. People found to engage with such radicalism are not welcome in our party. We are a grassroots party proudly championing what matters most to our regional and rural communities – always has been, always will be". Several suspected neo-Nazis were expelled from the party and its youth wing. John Barilaro, the leader of the NSW Nationals, also denounced racism and fascism within the party stating that: "I have no problems calling this out, this is something I'm very strong on, I do not accept racism".[3]
On 10 September 2020, the Nationals NSW declared that they would no longer support the legislation of the NSW Liberal Party, and would effectively move to the crossbenches in Parliament. This was caused due to a new amendments to planning regulation which looked to class more forested area as koala habitat, restricting land clearing in such areas and increasing compliance for landowners, to which they disagreed with. In response, the Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, threatened to sack Barilaro and his colleagues from cabinet.[4] Less than 24 hours later, on the morning of 11 September 2020, the Nationals backed down and rejoined the government.[5]
People who served as the Leader of National Party of Australia in New South Wales are:
| Leader | Term start | Term end | Time in office | Deputy Premier | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| years | No | ||||||
| years | No | ||||||
| years | 1932–1941 | ||||||
| years | No | [6] | |||||
| years | 1965–1975 | [7] | |||||
| years | 1975–1976 | [8] | |||||
| years | 1988–1993 | [9] | |||||
| 1993–1995 | [10] | ||||||
| No | [11] | ||||||
| 2011–2014 | [12] | ||||||
| 2014–2016 | [13] | ||||||
| 2016–2021 | [14] | ||||||
| 2021–2023 | [15] | ||||||
| Incumbent | 2023– | ||||||
People who served as the Deputy Leader of National Party of Australia in New South Wales are:
| Deputy Leader | Term start | Term end | Time in office | Leader | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| years | ||||||
| years | ||||||
| years | [16] | |||||
| years | ||||||
| years | ||||||
| years | [17] | |||||
| years | [18] | |||||
| years | ||||||
| years | [19] | |||||
| years | [20] | |||||
| years | [21] | |||||
| years | [22] | |||||
| [23] | ||||||
| [24] | ||||||
| [25] | ||||||
| [26] | ||||||
| [27] | ||||||
| [28] | ||||||
| [29] | ||||||
| [30] | ||||||
| Incumbent | [31] | |||||
| Election | Seats won | ± | Total votes | % | Position | Leader | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | 4 | 100,963 | 8.89% | NP-CP Coalition government | Ernest Buttenshaw | ||
| 1930 | 1 | 126,779 | 9.56% | Opposition | |||
| 1932 | 11 | 175,862 | 13.16% | UAP-CP Coalition government | Michael Bruxner | ||
| 1935 | – | 162,178 | 12.92% | UAP-CP Coalition government | |||
| 1938 | 1 | 164,045 | 13.86% | UAP-CP Coalition government | |||
| 1941 | 10 | 153,639 | 11.05% | Opposition | |||
| 1944 | 2 | 131,950 | 10.41% | Opposition | |||
| 1947 | 5 | 162,467 | 10.22% | Opposition | |||
| 1950 | 2 | 144,573 | 8.97% | Opposition | |||
| 1953 | 3 | 179,680 | 11.6% | Opposition | |||
| 1956 | 1 | 172,020 | 10.16% | Opposition | |||
| 1959 | 1 | 148,738 | 8.71% | Opposition | Charles Cutler | ||
| 1962 | 2 | 180,640 | 9.37% | Opposition | |||
| 1965 | 2 | 208,826 | 10.23% | LP-CP Coalition government | |||
| 1968 | 1 | 229,656 | 10.62% | LP-CP Coalition government | |||
| 1971 | – | 193,509 | 8.65% | LP-CP Coalition government | |||
| 1973 | 1 | 261,504 | 10.48% | LP-CP Coalition government | Leon Punch | ||
| 1976 | – | 270,603 | 10.03% | Opposition | |||
| 1978 | 1 | 276,984 | 9.90% | Opposition | |||
| 1981 | 3 | 314,841 | 11.21% | Opposition | |||
| 1984 | 1 | 266,095 | 8.85% | Opposition | |||
| 1988 | 5 | 440,482 | 13.74% | LP-NP Coalition government | Wal Murray | ||
| 1991 | 3 | 324,214 | 10.52% | LP-NP Minority government | |||
| 1995 | – | 378,878 | 11.10% | Opposition | Ian Armstrong | ||
| 1999 | 4 | 331,343 | 8.87% | Opposition | George Souris | ||
| 2003 | 1 | 368,004 | 9.63% | Opposition | |||
| 2007 | 1 | 396,023 | 10.05% | Opposition | Andrew Stoner | ||
| 2011 | 5 | 521,864 | 12.56% | LP-NP Coalition government | |||
| 2015 | 1 | 464,653 | 10.55% | LP-NP Coalition government | Troy Grant | ||
| 2019 | 4 | 436,806 | 9.60% | LP-NP Coalition government | John Barilaro | ||
| 2023 | 2 | 403,962 | 8.59% | Opposition | Paul Toole |