Canavan seeks Nationals endorsement for Capricornia

Nationals leader Matt Canavan has confirmed he will seek party endorsement to contest Capricornia at the next federal election, aiming to move from the Senate to the House of Representatives. The announcement makes the Central Queensland electorate a potential contest involving the Nationals and One Nation, but Canavan has not yet secured the LNP’s endorsement. One Nation national director James Ashby has not ruled out running there. Labor incumbent Emily Mawson has not said whether she will seek re-election. Canavan said he was nominating as a House of Representatives candidate. He acknowledged that his leadership position and local profile would not make the seat safe, and said he was prepared to risk political defeat. His bid follows Michelle Landry’s announcement on October 23 that she would not recontest the seat she has held since 2013. Capricornia was won by Landry for the Liberal National Party of Queensland at the past five elections. In 2025, she received 36.56% of the primary vote, compared with 31.9% for Labor’s Mawson and 15.5% for One Nation’s Cheryl Kempton. Landry’s two-party-preferred vote was 55.8% to Labor’s 43.41%. Ashby previously ran unsuccessfully for...