Nationals leader Matt Canavan to run for lower house seat in Queensland

Matt Canavan, leader of Australia's Nationals party, will run for a seat in the House of Representatives, the federal lower house, in the Queensland electorate of Capricornia at the next federal election. The move could set up a contest with James Ashby, national director of Pauline Hanson's One Nation party, as the two parties compete for regional seats.

The announcement came after Capricornia MP Michelle Landry, who is based in Rockhampton, said last month that she would retire from politics and not recontest the seat.

Canavan's reasoning

Speaking to the Courier-Mail on Monday, Canavan said the Nationals needed to hold the seat in order to change the government, and that he wanted to keep delivering for central Queensland. He said he would give it his all, even if it cost him politically.

Canavan had earlier been tipped to bid for the lower house. Pollsters had warned that he had a "zero per cent" chance of keeping his Senate spot if One Nation maintained its surge in opinion polls. Earlier last month, he said he was prepared to do "whatever it takes" to hold Capricornia for his party.

One Nation and Coalition response

Hanson ruled herself out of running for the seat but left open the possibility that Ashby could stand. She noted that the election was still more than a year away, perhaps a year and a half, and said she was not making decisions or indicating where she or Ashby might stand.

Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie said that if One Nation was serious about taking on Labor, it should contest Labor-held seats rather than run against Coalition figures such as Canavan. She said the goal was to change the prime minister, which meant winning Labor seats.