25 year veteran Queensland Senator, Ron Boswell, today stepped back from the partys Senate leadership after 17 years, handing over to rising star, Senator The Hon Nigel Scullion from the Northern Territory. Senator Boswell said today that he believed the time was right for generational change, and that he had given his full support to Senator Scullion at todays Party meeting. Senator Scullion has proven himself a formidable force in the Parliament as an active Senator, as our Partys former Whip and as a Minister in the Howard/Vaile Government, Senator Boswell said. I know from the strong relationship that I have maintained with Nigel throughout his term in the Senate since his original election in 2001 that he has the drive, the intelligence and the leadership and negotiation skills to be a Senate Leader of great strength and integrity, he said. I am pleased that I will remain Deputy Leader in the Senate to enable me to play a role as a mentor and advice-giver to my new Leader when required. Despite the predictions against my re-election on a joint Senate ticket with the Liberal Party in Queensland, It looks certain that I have comfortably won my 7th election to the Senate, and I still have much to give to this great Party which is again facing one of the more difficult periods of its history in Federal opposition, and in opposition throughout the country. I would like to take this opportunity to also congratulate my Queensland colleague, the Hon Warren Truss, on his election to the Partys Federal Leadership. He is the first Queenslander to lead the Party in nearly 50 years. I have often said that there are no safer hands in our Party than those of Warren Truss. He has proven it over and over again in an impressive array of government and opposition executive positions over the past 17 years. The Leadership team of Warren Truss and Nigel Scullion provides a great mix of youth, experience and intelligence that will serve the Party well in these challenging times for conservative politics. ENDS Media Contact 02 6277 324407 3001 8150