Dugald Saunders

{{short description|Australian politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}} {{Use Australian English|date=November 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = | caption = | honorific_suffix = MP | office = Leader of the New South Wales National Party | term_start = 8 May 2023 | term_end = 17 November 2025 | deputy = Bronnie Taylor<br>Gurmesh Singh | predecessor = Paul Toole | successor = Gurmesh Singh | office1 = Minister for Agriculture and Western New South Wales | premier1 = Dominic Perrottet | term_start1 = 21 December 2021 | term_end1 = 28 March 2023 | predecessor1 = Adam Marshall | successor1 = John Graham (interim) | office3 = Member of the<br>New South Wales Parliament<br>for Dubbo | term_start3 = 23 March 2019 | term_end3 = | predecessor3 = Troy Grant | successor3 = | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | party = National | relations = | spouse = | children = | occupation = Journalist | signature = | website = | footnotes = }} '''Dugald William Saunders''' is an Australian politician who served as leader of the New South Wales National Party from 2023 to 2025. He has been a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Dubbo since 2019.<ref name="Dugald Saunders NSW Parl">{{cite NSW Parliament |title=Mr Dugald William Saunders MP |id=2242 |access-date=15 October 2019}}</ref> Saunders was the Minister for Agriculture and the Minister for Western New South Wales in the Perrottet ministry from 2021 to 2023.<ref name="Gazette 2021-12-21">{{Gazette NSW |title=Parliament, Ministerial, Courts and Police |issue=662 |date=21 December 2021 |url=https://gazette.legislation.nsw.gov.au/so/download.w3p?id=Gazette_2021_2021-662.pdf}}</ref>

Before entering politics, Saunders had a long career in broadcasting. He was a commentator at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and was the ABC Local Radio morning presenter in Dubbo for ten years.<ref>{{cite web |last=Green|first=Antony|author-link=Antony Green|title=Dubbo |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/nsw/2019/guide/dubb/ |website=ABC Elections | publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation | year=2019 |access-date=24 March 2019}}</ref>

Following a leadership spill in May 2023, Saunders became leader of the New South Wales National Party.<ref>{{cite news |publisher=ABC News |access-date=17 November 2025 |date=8 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250905122144/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-08/paul-toole-rolled-as-nsw-national-leader/102317760 |url-status=live |title=NSW Nationals leadership spill sees Paul Toole replaced by Dugald Saunders |last=Cockburn |first=Paige |archive-date=5 September 2025 |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-08/paul-toole-rolled-as-nsw-national-leader/102317760}}</ref>

In November 2025, Saunders announced his resignation as the leader of the New South Wales National Party.<ref>{{cite news |access-date=17 November 2025 |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-17/nsw-nationals-leader-dugald-saunders-stands-down/106017362 |title=NSW Nationals leader Dugald Saunders stands down |date=17 November 2025 |first=Nick |last=Dole |publisher=ABC News |url-status=live |archive-date=17 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251117041750/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-17/nsw-nationals-leader-dugald-saunders-stands-down/106017362}}</ref> The day before he resigned, it emerged that his 19-year-old daughter was a pornographic actress.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nationals leader pulls pin day after daughter features in adult sex industry doco |url=https://7news.com.au/news/nsw-nationals-leader-dugald-saunders-resigns-after-daughters-appearance-in-adult-content-documentary-c-20705628 |website=7NEWS |language=en |date=17 November 2025}}</ref> On 18 November, Gurmesh Singh was elected as Saunders' replacement.<ref>{{cite news |access-date=18 November 2025 |archive-date=17 November 2025 |date=18 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251117235830/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-18/challenge-in-nsw-liberal-party-as-new-leader-for-nationals/106021212 |url-status=live |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-18/challenge-in-nsw-liberal-party-as-new-leader-for-nationals/106021212 |title=NSW Liberals leadership remains in doubt, as new leader also elected for NSW Nationals |first=Nick |last=Dole}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}   {{s-start}} {{s-par|au-nsw-la}} {{s-bef|before=Troy Grant}} {{s-ttl|title=Member for Dubbo | years=2019–present}} {{s-inc}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|rows=2|before=Adam Marshall |as=Minister for Agriculture and Western New South Wales}} {{s-ttl|title=Minister for Agriculture | years=2021–2023}} {{s-aft|rows=2|after=John Graham (interim)}} {{s-ttl|title=Minister for Western New South Wales | years=2021–2023}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saunders, Dugald}} Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of New South Wales Category:Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Category:21st-century Australian politicians Category:Australian sports commentators Category:Australian radio presenters Category:People from Dubbo Category:Ministers for agriculture (New South Wales)