Federal politics: Liberal Party room agrees to negotiations with Nationals to discuss Coalition
The Liberal Party room has given Sussan Ley the okay to re-enter negotiations with Nationals leader David Littleproud on reforming the coalition.
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The Liberal Party room has given new leader Sussan Ley the green light to renegotiate with David Littleproud on repairing the coalition with the Nationals.
The Liberals held a hook up on Friday afternoon to discuss re-entering a coalition with the regional party after Mr Littleproud sensationally announced the Nationals were pulling out following the devastating May 3 election result.
The Liberals have reportedly agreed “in principle” to the four policy demands from the Nationals, but have reserved the right to negotiate on the details.
“Sussan (Ley) has been authorised to negotiate a final landing on our behalf with David Littleproud,” a senior Liberal source told The Australian.
Those policy demands include lifting the moratorium on nuclear energy, maintaining the Coalition’s policies on forced divestiture powers to break up supermarket giants, establishing a $20bn regional future fund and improving telecommunication services.
The Nationals and Liberal leaders had planned to announce their portfolio spokespeople on Thursday, before Mr Littleproud held off after Ms Ley acquiesced and reconvened her party room.
Mr Littleproud had earlier said while Ms Ley and himself acted in “good faith”, it was not a guarantee the parties would get back together.
It marks a historic fourth time that the Coalition has been breached.
The Nationals leader had stressed the four policies were at the core of the split and claimed they were “important to the lives and livelihoods” of voters the party represented.
“They (the Liberals) need to be able to make these judgments themselves, as I brought my team together,” Mr Littleproud said.
“And I didn’t make a unilateral decision to leave the Coalition, it was one of the collective.
“And I’m presuming that is the process of the Liberal Party and I respect that.
“And I think that the best thing that I can do is allow that to happen.”
The policy demands clash Ms Ley’s vision of a “nothing adopted and nothing abandoned” approach to reviewing policies in the wake of the Coalition’s decimation at the federal election.
Gippsland Nationals MP Darren Chester said he had not heard anything officially, but remained hopeful “we’ll be able to work something out in the coming days”.
“We need to work together to try and have incredible opposition and hold the government to account,” Mr Chester told Sky News.
“The sooner we can re-form the coalition under an arrangement which suits both sides, I think the better it would be, the stronger we’ll be when we eventually return to parliament.”
The debacle had led to elders from both parties urging them to reconsider the break up, while speculation is mounting about the future of Mr Littleproud’s leadership.
Sky News has reported former leader Barnaby Joyce, who is being treated for prostate cancer, was prepared to back rival Michael McCormack who replaced him as deputy prime minister after he resigned after an affair scandal in 2018.
Mr Joyce three years later ousted Mr McCormack in a leadership coup.
Mr Chester said he backed Mr Littleproud “without any equivocation”.
McCormack’s cryptic comment on Littleproud leadership
Former Nationals boss Michael McCormack has delivered an ominous statement about David Littleproud as leadership chaos continues to roil conservative politics in the wake of Labor’s stomping May 3 election victory.
Mr McCormack, speaking on Friday morning, said he was “ambitious” for Mr Littleproud.
While ostensibly a statement of support, the words echo those used by Scott Morrison before he moved on Malcolm Turnbull to snatch the Liberal leadership.
Mr Morrison delivered the now-famous line during an August 21 press conference with then-prime minister Turnbull as leadership speculation mounted over the Liberal Party’s future.
He hugged Mr Turnbull and said “this is my leader and I’m ambitious for him”.
Mr Morrison became prime minister on August 24.
Mr McCormack declined to state clearly whether he supported Mr Littleproud as leader into the future.
“It’s been messy, it’s been really messy and for people on the outside looking in they just wonder what the hell is going on,” Mr McCormack told the ABC.
But the Riverina MP, who led the Nationals from 2018 to 2021, told NewsWire on Friday morning he would not make a move for the top job.
“I’m not mounting any challenges,” he said.
“It has been a messy week but I hope we can sort it out today or next week.
“The Australian people deserve better. They don’t want to see us talking about ourselves us when they are struggling with their power bills.”
Last week, firebrand Nationals Senator Matt Canavan challenged Mr Littleproud for the leadership, but failed to gain majority support in the party room.
The Liberals and Nationals split on Tuesday, ending a decades-long Coalition designed to present a united front against Labor.
The decision to walk away, pushed by Mr Littleproud, was controversial and does not hold unanimous support among Nationals.
But the shock break-up could be suspended, with both party rooms meeting on Friday to discuss a possible patch-up.
Mr Turnbull has weighed in on the split, calling the move “stupid”.
“This holding a gun to the Liberal Party’s head, which is what the Nats are doing, is really, really unwise, stupid politically,” he told the ABC.
“This is just so bad politically for them, so unwise.”
Why the Coalition split
Mr Littleproud abandoned the Coalition over four policies: divestiture powers for supermarkets, support for nuclear power, a proposed $20bn regional Australia fund and greater telecommunications coverage.
He wanted guarantees from newly elected Liberal leader Sussan Ley that she would support the measures.
But his demands clashed with Ms Ley’s vision of a “nothing adopted and nothing abandoned” approach to reviewing policies in the wake of the Coalition’s decimation at the federal election.
On Thursday, Ms Ley said Mr Littleproud had re-entered “good faith negotiations”.
“Earlier today I wrote to, and met with, David inviting him to re-enter good-faith negotiations. I am pleased he has accepted,” she said in a statement.
“In relation to the policy positions proposed by the Nationals party room, consistent with my consultation commitment, the Liberal Party will consider these, utilising our party room processes.
“It has always been the Liberal Party’s objective to form a Coalition and we welcome the Nationals’ decision to re-enter negotiations.”
There is broad support among Liberals for stitching back a Coalition with the Nationals.
Senior Liberal Dan Tehan, speaking to ABC Radio on Friday morning, said he was focused on “making sure that we come together and we get outcome that is in the best interests of this nation”.
“We all have deep concerns that we’re going to see an arrogance out of the prime minister, given the size of the election result,” he said.
“We have a big job on behalf of the Australian people in making sure that we hold the Albanese Labor government to account … we need a proper functioning opposition.”
Labor now holds at least 93 seats in parliament, while the Liberal Party has just 28 and the Nationals 15 in the 150-seat parliament.
Parliament returns in late July.
Landry appointed Nationals ‘whip’
Long-serving Central Queensland MP Michelle Landry has been appointed the Nationals’ chief whip.
Ms Landry, who represents the beef and coal mining electorate of Capricornia, will manage her party’s activities in the House of Representatives, including organising speakers for parliamentary debates, ensuring members are present for votes and maintaining discipline in the party room.
“It’s a privilege to return as Chief Whip for The Nationals,” she said on Friday.
“This is a role of great responsibility and one I approach with the utmost respect and commitment.
“The Chief Whip is the engine room of parliamentary co-ordination and I look forward to working closely with my Nationals colleagues to ensure we remain a strong and united voice for regional Australia.”
Originally published as Federal politics: Liberal Party room agrees to negotiations with Nationals to discuss Coalition
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