BATHURST MP Paul Toole has lost his position as the leader of the NSW Nationals after a party room vote this afternoon.
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He has been replaced by Dubbo MP Dugald Saunders, who is reported to have won the vote 10-5.
It comes after accusations that Mr Toole lied to his colleagues over a plum parliamentary job for Nationals MP Ben Franklin.
Mr Franklin has said Mr Toole knew about his intention to nominate for president of the upper house and had supported the move.
However, this is contrary to Mr Toole's own comments about this situation, telling metropolitan media last week that Mr Franklin "should not be accepting the position of president of the upper house".
Mr Toole became the leader of the Nationals in October, 2021 and served as the state's deputy premier until the Coalition lost at the 2023 election.
While the Coalition lost the state, Mr Toole was returned as the Member for Bathurst to serve a fourth consecutive term.
More to come.
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