The new leader of the Nationals Party has rejected suggestions he will ostracise the party’s core voters.

David Littleproud has signalled he wants to take the party the “sensible centre” and he doesn’t want to “lurch left or right”.

Asked about whether he would risk “becoming the Malcolm Turnbull of the Nationals” by ostracising some core voters, he said it was time adapt.

“No because that’s where our voters are, we are not hicks sitting on hay bales with straws between our teeth,” he told Scott Emerson.

“We are professionals that run multi-million dollar businesses, using multi-million dollar equipment.

“Just because we live in regional Australia doesn’t mean that we are backward and we have extreme views.

“That’s really simplistic thinking, it’s not that way at all. Most of regional and rural Australia is far more sophisticated than metropolitan Australia.”

Press PLAY below to hear more about how he wants to lead the party

Image: Sam Mooy/Getty Images

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