Young Nationals (Australia)
The Young Nationals is the youth division of the National Party of Australia, with membership open to those between 18 and 35 years of age. Young Nationals also have full party membership, and partake in state and federal conferences with equal rights to members of the senior party. They are active in National Party campaigning during all state and federal elections. It was first formed in Queensland in 1957, with other states following in subsequent years.
The movement is predominantly organised on the state division level, with each state organising its own events and policy as well as electing its own executive. In 2007 the Queensland Division of the Liberal Party of Australia and the Queensland National Party merged to become the Liberal National Party of Queensland. As part of this merger process, the Queensland Young Liberals and the Queensland Young Nationals were merged to become the Young Liberal National Party. The Young LNP is effectively the Queensland division of both the federal Young Liberals and the federal Young Nationals, and is the largest division of each of these movements. The federal executive of the Young Nationals comprises members elected from delegations from each affiliated state Young Nationals organisation, and the President of each affiliate. Policy can also be adopted by the movement's federal body. These policies are often then advocated by the Federal Young Nationals on the floor of the Federal Council of the National Party of Australia, as well as in representations made directly to members of parliament.
Political impact
Politically, the Young Nationals have had an increasingly significant impact on overall National Party policy and machinations in recent years. Young Nationals notably changed the party platform to oppose any form of mandatory ISP-level internet censorship and have also expressed strong federalist sentiments, having spearheaded a push to abolish the national curriculum. The Young Nationals also voted on a motion to support same-sex marriage and free votes on the issue. The movement has also been one of the stronger elements in the National Party that has expressed support for voluntary student unionism, eventually persuading Senator Fiona Nash to ditch the parliamentary party's opposition to VSU.Current federal executive
| Position | Office-bearer | State |
| President | Daniel Banks | Northern Territory |
| Vice-President | Alessia Maruca | Queensland |
| Secretary | Nat Openshaw | New South Wales |
| Treasurer | Alysia Smith | New South Wales |
| Policy Officer | Brendan Tam | Victoria |
| Campaigns Officer | Kurt Tucker | Queensland |
| Fundraising Officer | William Rollo | Queensland |
| Publicity Officer | Douglas Rodgers | Queensland |
| Immediate Past President | Ruby Cameron | Victoria |
| New South Wales President | Jock Sowter | |
| Victorian President | Rebecca Treloar | |
| Northern Territory President | Vacant | |
| Queensland President | Nelson Savanh | |
| South Australian President | Matthew Gadsden | |
| Western Australian President | Heather York |
Past presidents
| Ordinal | Year | President | State | Notes |
| 1 | 1968 | The Hon. Mike Ahern | Queensland | Subsequently the Member for Landsborough and Premier of Queensland |
| 2 | 1975–1976 | Gary Pike | Queensland | |
| 3 | 1976–1977 | Garry West | New South Wales | Subsequently the Member for Orange and Minister in the Greiner and Fahey coalition governments |
| 4 | 1977–1979 | The Hon. Pat McNamara | Victoria | Subsequently the Member for Benalla and Deputy Premier of Victoria in the Kennett coalition government |
| 5 | 1979–1981 | Michael Behan | Queensland | |
| 6 | 1981–1983 | Nigel Smith | New South Wales | |
| 7 | 1983–1985 | Gerard Walsh | Queensland | |
| 8 | 1985–1987 | Julian Anderson | Queensland | |
| 9 | 1987–1988 | Judy Brewer | Victoria | Later the wife of former Deputy Prime Minister and Nationals leader Tim Fischer |
| 10 | 1988–1989 | Aldo Borgu | Queensland | |
| 11 | 1989–1991 | Angus Calder | New South Wales | |
| 12 | 1991-1993 | Duncan Anderson | Western Australia | |
| 13 | 1993-1994 | Daniel Kelliher | Victoria | |
| 14 | 1994–1996 | Meredith Dickie | Victoria | Later the State Director of the Victorian Nationals 2002-2005 |
| 15 | 1996–1997 | Donald Burnett | Queensland | |
| 16 | 1997–1998 | Douglas Doyle | New South Wales | |
| 17 | 1998–1999 | Robert Macaulay | New South Wales | |
| 18 | 1999–2000 | Stuart Copeland | Queensland | Subsequently the Member for Cunningham |
| 19 | 2001–2002 | Scott Mitchell | Victoria | Subsequently the Federal Director of the National Party |
| 20 | 2002–2004 | Tim Dixon | New South Wales | |
| 21 | 2004–2006 | Chris Kahler | Queensland | |
| 22 | 2006–2008 | Damian Callachor | New South Wales | Subsequently the Chief of Staff to Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack |
| 23 | 2008–2009 | The Hon. Martin Aldridge MLC | Western Australia | Subsequently a Member for the Agricultural region |
| 24 | 2009–2011 | The Hon. Sarah Mitchell MLC | New South Wales | Subsequently a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council and Minister in the Berejiklian coalition government |
| 25 | 2011–2014 | Cr Cameron O'Neil | Queensland | |
| 26 | 2014 - 2018 | Ruby Cameron | Victoria |