McCormack must step up for Nationals to succeed

Michael McCormack has not set the world on fire since becoming Nationals leader in February 2018. The colleagues who supported a spill of the leadership on Tuesday cited the Deputy Prime Minister’s lack of cut-through and his passivity in pursuing issues that were important for the party’s rural and regional constituency. In his statement of resignation from cabinet to support Barnaby Joyce, Matt Canavan declared “forthright leadership from the Nationals party is needed more than ever”. Still, Mr McCormack prevailed in the partyroom, seeing off the challenge from the “look at me” Mr Joyce, an enduringly ambitious one-man political band. Did we just see boring beat batty, with due respect to both men?

Mr McCormack’s standing, such as it is, was not helped by Scott Morrison’s Hawaiian vacation in December and the obfuscation around the caretaker arrangements that were in place. The Prime Minister and his team decided to hide Mr Morrison’s overseas holiday — a too-clever-by-half mistake — and, like it or not, ended up diminishing both leaders’ authority. It’s true Mr McCormack’s presentation skills do not win over the style markers in Canberra, let alone his internal critics, but his method brings success in the party’s heartland. At last May’s election, the Nationals held all 16 of their lower house electorates, including two seats where incumbent MPs were retiring, seeing off attacks from One Nation and Clive Palmer’s big money politicking.

As well, Mr McCormack operates in the shadow of the Prime Minister, the dominant figure in conservative politics. That Mr McCormack is so close to Mr Morrison is both a bonus and hindrance to the junior Coalition partner; it promotes Coalition unity, for sure, but does not build product differentiation or a national profile, critics say. But Nationals do their best work on the ground, representing distinct rural and regional communities. This was the case last May in Queensland, where all six Nationals MPs secured increased primary votes. What irks the peanut gallery in Canberra — say, support for the Adani coal project or more dams — plays differently in the commodity-rich, coal-dependent Sunshine State.

That an erratic spirit such as Mr Joyce — a magnet for controversy, with a penchant for crossing the floor on key issues and a talent for melodrama in his personal life — was able to gather any support from a standing start does not bode well for Nationals unity. It’s a pity Senator Canavan has been caught up in Mr Joyce’s long-running vanity project. Senator Canavan is energetic, talented and a skilled communicator. He is more effective in the heart of the Morrison government, overseeing policy for northern development and the resources sector, than as a television talking head, op-ed contributor or numbers man for Mr Joyce.

If there is a silver lining for the party in the turmoil, it comes in the elevation of David Littleproud as deputy leader. He has been in parliament since only 2016 and has been on the fast track. Mr Littleproud must get his teeth into a big policy portfolio, come up with solutions to problems, help his leader in the task of messaging and bide his time.

The Nationals face several policy challenges, given the ongoing drought, recovery from bushfires and broader economic weakness. There is pressure to do more on water, dams, drought assistance and baseload power. Adding to this picture will be a likely hit to export sales of agricultural products from the coronavirus crisis, as well as an expected drop in tourists in regional areas due to bushfires and the virus.

As we saw from Monday’s Newspoll, the drop in the Coalition’s primary vote is not going to Labor. As Dennis Shanahan writes on Wednesday, support is being lost to “others”, which includes the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers, who are drawing strong support in NSW. Mr McCormack must lift his game, given the core issues and personalities behind Tuesday’s party revolt won’t easily go away. He must re-engage with disaffected voters, such as those who turned on him outside Parliament House in December, due to water, drought and agricultural policy. It’s a delicate task, with a depleted team, in a disruptive, volatile era in politics. The Nationals leader is on notice.