Deputy Prime Minister under threat of leadership challenge
ANOTHER leadership coup is looming at the top of the government, but its target was stubborn and defiant when he appeared on TV this morning.
NATIONALS leader Michael McCormack has tried to hose down speculation his leadership is in jeopardy amid reports he could face a challenge next week.
It’s been just two months since the government’s last leadership change, when the Liberals axed prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and replaced him with Scott Morrison.
Now Nationals MPs are reportedly counting numbers to potentially replace the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr McCormack, who is accused of being weak towards the Liberals and failing to connect with voters.
Former leader Barnaby Joyce claims he isn’t trying to take over as Nationals leader again - but on Wednesday said he was ready to do the job if his colleagues asked him to.
“I don’t intend to stand aside. I’ve got the support of the party room and that’s that,” Mr McCormack told Sky News this morning.
“I’ve been given nothing but support, nothing but absolute solid supprt.
“National Party members aren’t talking about the leadership. They’re talking about the sorts of things that are really important to the people they represent.”
“That’s just not true, is it?” interjected host Laura Jayes. “That’s just not true. Do you deny that there has been any disquiet about your leadership? Is there no self-reflection here?”
.@ljayes: Do you deny there has been disquiet about your leadership:
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) October 17, 2018
.@M_McCormackMP: No @The_Nationals party member has come to me and said ‘I’m dissatisfied with the job you’re doing.’
MORE: https://t.co/g5HdRYBCRP #FirstEdition pic.twitter.com/XVuVhK7vWT
Mr McCormack’s insistence his colleagues were loyal to him does clash jarringly with reports in the media.
Last night, for example, Fairfax Media reported Queensland-based National MPs were counting numbers and were of the opinion they had enough support to challenge Mr McCormack or ask him to step down.
“Obviously we’re not making it up,” Ms Jayes said.
“No National Party member has come to me and said, ‘I’m not satisfied with the job you’re doing.’ They’ve come to me and they’ve offered me solid support,” Mr McCormack told her.
“I appreciate that these insider Canberra games are played.
“People don’t like us being focused on ourselves. They don’t like this introspection. What they want us to do is represent them.”
He refused to take a direct shot at Mr Joyce, who has been called a “narcissist” and “delusional” by one of Mr McCormack’s supporters.
“I support Barnaby in the role that he’s doing as the member for New England, I support Barnaby in the role that he’s doing as the special drought envoy,” he said.
This morning Prime Minister Scott Morrison brushed off the leadership speculation.
“I’m not interested in that,” Mr Morrison said. “I don’t get distracted by what goes on in Canberra.”
Meanwhile, Nationals MP Michelle Landry told the “faceless men” among her colleagues they should approach Mr McCormack directly with their concerns about his leadership, instead of plotting behind his back.
“Show a bit of guts boys,” Ms Landry said. “If they have an issue, go and talk to the leader about it.”
Yesterday Mr Joyce, who resigned in February amid the fallout from his affair with former staffer Vikki Campion, did little to help end the rumours.
“I have not made one call to one colleague asking for a vote,” Mr Joyce told Sky News.
“There’s been no secret meetings in my room, there’s no WhatsApp group, there’s no dinner conversations going away to a restaurant.”
But he confirmed he had ambitions to be leader again.
“It is faux modesty to say if you’re offered a job, you’d turn it down. That is garbage,” Mr Joyce said.
“If it was offered to me I’d take it, but I’m not touting for it, I’m not collecting the numbers.” Earlier, Nationals frontbencher Darren Chester backed Mr McCormack to stay in the job.
“He’s obviously a personal friend of mine and I back him 100 per cent and I think he has strong support across our party room,” Mr Chester told Sky News.
Fellow Nationals frontbencher Matt Canavan also talked down the prospects of a leadership insurrection.
“I haven’t had conversations with any of my colleagues around these issues, because my colleagues support Michael McCormack,” Senator Canavan told reporters in Canberra.
“We can’t go through a sitting week without some speculation on leadership. It’s the National Party’s turn this week, we’ll ride through it.” Mr Chester, the minister for defence personnel, described Parliament House as a “nest of rumours and innuendo”.
“This is speculation, it’s paper talk, it’s unnamed sources,” he said. “It’s rubbish and Michael McCormack has the support of the party room.”
Mr McCormack also hit out at his internal critics.
“These inside Canberra games you are playing, they will come back to bite you, don’t worry about that,” he told Parliament on Tuesday.
“Look in the mirror and ask if that is really serving the people of Australia.”
Dutton to name and shame sex offenders
The Liberal leader outlined the plan on Thursday night as he discussed his work as an officer working on solving sex crimes, in the drug squad and in surveillance.
Fiery scenes as police chief quizzed on PM
Politicians have clashed while trying to ask the nation’s top cop why the Prime Minister was apparently kept in the dark about the alleged caravan terror plot.
Coles slammed over mass product cull
Nationals leader David Littleproud has hit out at Coles after the supermarket giant flagged a cull in its product range, claiming prices at the checkout would rise.