Michael McCormack holds Nationals top job after seeing off Barnaby Joyce challenge
Barnaby Joyce has vowed to work towards the re-election of a Morrison-McCormack Government despite an unsuccessful bid to take the Nationals leadership.
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Barnaby Joyce has failed in his bid to reclaim the job of Deputy Prime Minister, with Nationals leader Michael McCormack surviving a push by rebel MPs to oust him from the Nationals leadership.
Mr Joyce’s coup failed but whip Damian Drum refused to reveal the vote.
David Littleproud was chosen to be deputy leader and will replace Senator Bridget McKenzie, who was forced to resign over her handling of the sports rorts affair.
Mr Joyce issued a statement congratulating Mr McCormack on his victory.
He said the party had followed its own processes in resolving issues.
“That process has been followed and the issue is finalised. This was made as brief as possible prior to the first sitting of Parliament for the year,” he said.
Mr Joyce said he supported the vote of the room and would strive for the “re-election of a Morrison McCormack Government as it was “definitely the better outcome for Australia” particularly regional people.
“Now my first attentions go back to where they were before this week, the New England (electorate), drought, fires and now the threat of coronavirus,” he said.
Mr McCormack said the Nationals would “continue as a united team” and his message to regional Australians was “we have your back”.
“We have your back, whether it’s drought, we have your back whether it’s building new dam infrastructure,” he said.
“We have your back whether it’s dealing with the bushfires and everything else that is regional Australia.”
Mr McCormack said it was a “great honour and privilege” to continue to serve as leader.
“I congratulate David Littleproud for his election to the Deputy Leader’s position,” he said.
“Also, I look forward to working and continuing to work with Barnaby Joyce, who put his hand up for the leadership.
“I also continue to look forward to working with Keith Pitt and David Gillespie, who put their hands up for the Deputy Leader’s role.”
Bridget McKenzie will remain leader of the Nationals Party in the Senate, while Matt Canavan has retained the deputy position.
Both senators have lost their cabinet positions in the fallout of the sports rorts and leadership spill in the last two days, but they are the party’s only long serving parliamentarians in the Senate.
National Party Senate Whip Perin Davey said the leadership team’s re-enforcement was “great news for rural and regional Australia”.
“This democratic decision by the party room reinforces our confidence in the senate leadership,” she said.
Earlier, backers of both Joyce and McCormack were claiming their man had the numbers to claim the Nationals leadership.
Mr Joyce was looking likely to return to the leadership role this morning with his supporters claimining they could topple McCormack.
But Mr McCormack’s backers claimed at 8am AEDT they were the ones ahead with 12 votes.
Both sides were claiming they had the vote of Cowper MP Pat Conaghan.
The Daily Telegraph understands Mr Conaghan voted for Mr McCormack.
While the Joyce camp was claiming to have lost by just one vote -- 10 to 11 -- backers of Mr McCormack said they had prevailed 15 to 6, or 14 to 7. One of the votes about which there was doubt was that of Senator McKenzie.
Mr McCormack’s team was also claiming the vote of Senator Perin Davey, although Mr Joyce’s backers were declaring her vote to be up for grabs.
Mr Joyce’s factional backers even claimed they were hopeful of winning over Bridget McKenzie’s vote, two days after she was forced to resign for failing to declare she was a member of a gun club she signed-off on a grant for.
Mr Joyce’s supporters circulated a list where they were counting on the votes of George Christensen, Mr Joyce, Ken O’Dowd, Matt Canavan, who has already resigned from the ministry ahead of the spill, David Gillespie, Llew O’Brien, David Littleproud, Sam McMahon, Susan Macdonald, Davey and McKenzie.
Mr Joyce’s backers were even hopeful of winning the support of Keith Pitt, who has been a long-time enemy of Joyce.
“That’s what I think is the bare minimum of where it is at, and is a win for Barnaby,” one source said.
Mr McCormack walked into the Nationals party room shortly before 9am AEDT accompanied by three loyal MPs – Mark Coulton, Michelle Landry and Andrew Gee.
Meanwhile Ms McKenzie, when asked if she supported Mr Joyce, said “I’ve already answered that”.
On Monday she said she did not comment on party room matters, but also has previously said she supported her party leader.
However that comment was not in the context of a confirmed spill against the position.
Ms McKenzie was accompanied by new Senators Sam McMahon from the Northern Territory and Perin Davey from NSW.
Mr Joyce appeared to be by himself as he walked between the party room and a Nationals MP office, believed to belong to Ken O’Dowd.
Senior Minister and deputy leader hopeful David Littleproud also walked to the meeting alone, declining to comment until after the decision
Mr McCormack earlier warned colleagues against “tearing down” the National Party.
The deputy prime minister copped questions about the impending leadership spill in Canberra this morning.
“There’s a time to tear down and there’s a time to build. Now is a time to build,” Mr McCormack told reporters outside a church service.
NATS MINISTER LAMENTS SPILL DURING BUSHFIRE TRIBUTE
This morning’s motion was criticised by emotional Nationals Minister Darren Chester, who said his party’s decision to hold a spill on the day parliament was due to pay tribute to volunteer firefighters and bushfire victims was “abhorrent”.
The Veterans Affair Minister, who’s Gippsland electorate bore the brunt of Victoria’s brutal summer of bushfires, said “simply having a vote” on the leadership today was “not a good look” for the Nationals Party.
“On a day when the parliament in both the House of Reps and the Senate is debating a condolence motion on bushfires, that we’d be talking among ourselves is quite abhorrent,” he said.
“I’m sorry to the regional Australians who sent us here to fight on their behalf and my colleagues right now are fighting amongst themselves.”
Mr Chester accused some of his colleagues of using the McKenzie scandal to further their own positions at the expense of the party.
“I think some of my colleagues saw the opportunity to confect a crisis to drum up support for themselves because they didn’t have the job they wanted,” he said.
Earlier, leadership challenger Joyce said Mr McCormack was “quoting from the Old Testament”.
“That’s fine (but) what I’m going to be looking at is the future with the party,” he said.
“Two years out from election, and two years after the previous change, and before we go back to parliament, if there is a time for consideration, this is it.”
Mr Joyce also accused critics of his tenure while Agriculture Minister and leader of the party of coming after him personally because they can’t attack his policy.
“That is the unfortunate art form of some in politics, and they’ve had to deal with it before, and I’m sure we’ll see it again. On the policy issues, I’m happy to have that discussion.”
RESIGNATION AS NATS SPILL LOOMED
Last night senior Morrison Government minister Matt Canavan resigned from the front bench and offered his support to Mr Joyce to return as Nationals leader.
Senator Canavan said the Nationals needed a “bulldog” in the top job, handing in his resignation from the Cabinet to the Prime Minister due to his position.
But he also revealed he may have a conflict of interest in a grant that was given to the North Queensland Cowboys and has asked the Prime Minister to investigate.
Senator Canavan told Mr McCormack of his decision – adding it was not a “personal reflection” of his character – and had informed his colleagues.
“I do think that on a number of fronts we must be more forceful on issues that are threatening the livelihoods of those in regional Australia,” Senator Canavan said.
“This is a decision I’ve come to on my own. I have no idea about the overall make up of the result tomorrow.
“Barnaby has proven himself as a stayer.
“As he said today, he’s not perfect but cast the first stone. He’s shown a resilience that the Australian people respect.”
Mr Canavan said he had informed Mr McCormack of his decision and tendered his resignation as Resources and Northern Australia Minister.