Nationals spill ‘not a good look’ as senior Coalition MPs divide over Barnaby Joyce

Liberal MP Jason Falinski has lashed the ousting of Michael McCormack with Liberals divided over Barnaby Joyce’s comeback.

Jason Falinski has criticsed the ousting of Michael McCormack.

Liberal MP Jason Falinski has ­labelled the ousting of Nationals leader Michael McCormack “not a good look”, with members of the senior Coalition partner divided over Barnaby Joyce’s comeback.

With Mr Joyce elevated to the leadership once again, many considered his controversial positions on climate change would create problems for Scott Morrison as he was simultaneously ­trying to convince the EU and the US of Australia’s commitment to mitigate global warming.

But conservatives believe Mr Joyce’s return will stem the flow of votes to hard-right parties such as One Nation and “hearten” the Coalition’s right-wing base.

Mr Falinski on Monday said the Coalition needed to have a “solution to the climate change challenge”, otherwise the solutions would be “imposed on us by people overseas”.

“It’s not a good look because we are in the middle of a pandemic … and, you know, we need to be working for the people of Australia and not be focused on ourselves,” Mr Falinski told ABC News on Monday evening.

“I’m not a member of the Nationals so I can’t say for sure what the rationale behind the change in leader was. But what I can say is that I know there are a lot of members of the Nationals who do believe what I just said is right.”

Many Liberals opted not to ­become involved in the leadership ructions of the Nationals. But one Liberal MP told The Australian that moderates were nervously awaiting what concessions Mr Joyce would gain from the Coalition agreement negotiations with the Prime Minister.

“If Barnaby’s pitch for the job was being more belligerent towards the senior Coalition partner, that’s hardly going to be good for us,” the Liberal MP said.

“What will be telling is what he really committed to his backers on things like climate, and what he’s got out of the Coalition agreement.

“But either way, he’s going to make the tap-dance on climate so much harder for the leadership.”

Mr Joyce has argued the ­Nationals should receive senior cabinet posts – such as treasury, foreign affairs, defence and ­finance – in line with similar ­coalition governments in Europe and elsewhere.

The incoming Nationals leader has also voiced his concerns that the junior Coalition partner has lacked a separate identity to the Liberals under Mr McCormack’s leadership.

Other Liberals said little would will change under Mr Joyce’s revived leadership, adding he was likely to prove a political weapon in regions susceptible to losing votes to One Nation.

“Joyce is a pragmatist and he’s got what he wanted by cynically using net-zero against McCormack,” another Liberal MP said.

“He didn’t get anything major under Abbott or Turnbull. I think very little will change under the Coalition agreement, and Joyce’s backers will get ministry positions, so they’ll largely be quiet.”

Another conservative Liberal source said on Monday that Mr Joyce was not going to “take things lightly” in cabinet discussions with the Prime Minister, which they said could only be a positive for the Coalition’s policies. Despite Mr Joyce’s chequered history – including the “bonk ban” that was implemented after revelations emer­ged he was expecting a child with his ­former communications staffer Vicki Campion – the Liberal source also said voters recognised that he was “flawed” but “real”.