Matt Canavan

Matt Canavan
Canavan in 2017
Minister for Resources and Northern Australia
In office
27 October 2017  3 February 2020
Prime MinisterMalcolm Turnbull
Scott Morrison
Preceded byBarnaby Joyce (acting)
Succeeded byKeith Pitt
In office
19 July 2016  25 July 2017
Prime MinisterMalcolm Turnbull
Preceded byJosh Frydenberg (as Minister for Resources, Energy and Northern Australia)
Succeeded byBarnaby Joyce (acting)
Minister for Northern Australia
In office
18 February 2016  19 July 2016
Prime MinisterMalcolm Turnbull
Preceded byJosh Frydenberg (as Minister for Resources, Energy and Northern Australia)
Succeeded byHimself (as Minister for Northern Australia)
Senator for Queensland
Assumed office
1 July 2014
Deputy Leader of the
Nationals in the Senate
In office
2 July 2019  27 September 2022
Nationals Party Whip in the Senate
In office
10 September 2015  18 February 2016
Personal details
Born
Matthew James Canavan

(1980-12-17) 17 December 1980
Southport, Queensland, Australia
Political partyNational Party (Federal)
Liberal National Party (State)
Other political
affiliations
Coalition
Residence(s)Yeppoon, Queensland
Alma materUniversity of Queensland
OccupationEconomist
Websitemattcanavan.com.au

Matthew James Canavan (born 17 December 1980) is an Australian politician. He was elected to the Australian Senate representing the state of Queensland at the 2013 federal election for the term beginning 1 July 2014. He won re-election at the 2016 election and again at the 2022 Australian federal election. He was the Minister for Resources and Northern Australia between February 2016 and February 2020. He is a member of the Liberal National Party and sits with National Party in federal parliament.

In July 2017, amid the 2017–18 Australian parliamentary eligibility crisis, Canavan resigned from Cabinet over doubt as to his eligibility to be a member of the parliament, after discovering that he might be an Italian citizen. After the High Court found in October 2017 that Canavan was not an Italian citizen, he was immediately reappointed to Cabinet.

In February 2020, Canavan resigned again from Cabinet to support Barnaby Joyce in his unsuccessful bid for National Party leadership.

In May 2025, Canavan unsuccessfully challenged David Littleproud for leadership following the 2025 Australian federal election in the 2025 National Party of Australia leadership spill.