New NSW Nationals leader Gurmesh Singh open to nuclear energy

New NSW Nationals leader Gurmesh Singh says metropolitan areas should take on more responsibility for hosting renewables projects, and says he is open to government investment in nuclear energy.

In an interview after he became the party’s 15th NSW leader, Singh said former federal Liberal leader Peter Dutton failed to adequately campaign on nuclear energy, and polling demonstrated the policy is “accepted and popular”.

After an uncontested ballot at 8.30am on Tuesday, Singh, the member for Coffs Harbour, emerged as the new leader less than 24 hours after Dubbo MP Dugald Saunders abruptly resigned. Kevin Anderson, the member for Tamworth, was elected deputy unopposed.

Shortly after Singh emerged as leader, the NSW Liberals signed off on net zero by 2050.

Speaking to the Herald, Singh said the 2050 emissions target was “unlikely to be met” and the government should be “truthful with the people of Australia and NSW”.

The Liberals and Nationals were “largely aligned” on energy, Singh said. He said wording around the Coalition’s commitment to the target could be “on the table” as part of negotiations, along with cities taking on more responsibility for renewables projects.

“Metro areas absolutely could take on a lot more when it comes to renewable generation, but also the battery storage as well. Things like encouraging more solar in the cities. There’s an opportunity for more wind in the cities as well,” he said.

With speculation about NSW Liberal Party leader Mark Speakman’s leadership, Singh said he maintained “great relationships across the Coalition aisle”. Any decisions about portfolios would be parked until the end of the sitting week, he said.

Asked to differentiate himself from his predecessor during his first press conference as leader, Singh characterised Saunders as a “great media performer”, adding that he liked “the policy side of things a lot more”.

Singh, a blueberry and macadamia farmer turned conservative politician, was believed to be the only MP calling colleagues about the leadership, according to MPs speaking on the condition of anonymity to detail private discussions.

Singh was the beneficiary of MPs eager to unite behind a new leader, while Paul Toole, 2½ years after being deposed as leader, decided against contesting despite heavy speculation that he would.

The deputy position vacated by Singh was still considered a moving feast just an hour before the party room meeting. Senior frontbenchers Anderson and Sarah Mitchell were touted by MPs, but it was Anderson who emerged with the role. Mitchell will continue as the party’s leader in the upper house.

Singh, who was elected in 2019, held a number of shadow portfolios, including emergency services, regional affairs and the North Coast.

Saunders resigned unexpectedly, releasing a statement on Monday saying that he wanted to “focus more on my family and myself”.

“For the past 2½ years, I have had the privilege of leading the NSW Nationals – today I am stepping down from that position,” he wrote.

Nationals sources believed Saunders had lost the support of colleagues and would have faced a challenge this week if he had not stood down.

Singh, a Punjabi Sikh by descent – his great-grandfather Bella Singh immigrated in the 1890s – grew up in Woolgoolga on the state’s Mid North Coast. But in an interview with The Nightly in September, the MP said he was “sick of being called Indian”.

“How many more generations does it have to be before I stop being an Indian-Australian and just an Australian? I think that’s the question we all have to answer,” he said.

As the Nationals and Liberals held a joint party room meeting at 10am on Tuesday, MPs speaking on the condition of anonymity to detail confidential discussions said the Liberal caucus had signed off on net zero by 2050 target.

“There was an emphasis on affordability and reducing impacts on regional communities,” said a Liberal MP, adding no one spoke in favour of ditching the commitment.

After a briefing by federal senators Matt Canavan and Ross Cadell last Monday, the NSW Nationals party room agreed “in principle” to support the federal Nationals’ “cheaper, better and fairer plan”.

But polling undertaken by YouGov on behalf of the Coalition-aligned Blueprint Institute found there were considerable electoral risks in Liberal-held seats.

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