After allegations that an MP was pushed to break ranks in order to secure a lucrative parliamentary position, Dugald Saunders, a Dubbo MP, has ousted Paul Toole as the head of the NSW Nationals.
After MP Ben Franklin claimed the then-leader had supported his bid to be nominated for president of the upper chamber, Toole was defeated in a party room meeting today.
When it was revealed that Franklin was exploring the position last week, he faced criticism since it would effectively give Labour a majority in the evenly divided upper house.
Even though their Liberal colleagues were not delighted with the move, Franklin told the Sydney Morning Herald that Toole had convinced him it would be “really good” for the party.
Franklin remarked, “I’m angry because Paul hasn’t been truthful about what happened here.
“I was acting on the assumption that the party leader approved of it,” said the speaker.
The upper house president is provided with a car, three employees, and a dining room as part of the ministerial pay that is paid for the position.
When the party chose its leader in the wake of the Coalition’s defeat in the NSW election, Saunders fell short of Toole by one vote.
