Australian Resources Minister Canavan Quits

Australian National Party deputy leader and the minister for natural resources Matt Canavan announced his resignation from the government frontbench on February 3. He said he wanted to support his colleague Barnaby Joyce's bid to become the Nationals' leader, challenging Michael McCormack. David Littleproud has taken over as acting resources minister.

Upstream lobby group Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association said that as minister for resources, Canavan had done a good job of "unlocking of domestic gas resources in the face of strong political opposition," and had been "instrumental in providing the vision for the development of the Beetaloo Basin in the Northern Territory.