Mathias Cormann rejects Barnaby Joyce’s threat Nat rebels will cross the floor

Scott Morrison says he respects members of parliament with ‘long-held’ policy convictions, amid Barnaby Joyce’s threat.

Scott Morrison has attempted to defuse tensions with Nationals rebels and a threat from Barnaby Joyce that he and his supporters would cross the floor on votes, saying he has “respect” for members of parliament with “long-held” policy convictions.

The Prime Minister was responding to Mr Joyce warning that the failure to put any of his supporters into the new ministry after he lost his leadership challenge has created a frustrated faction within the Nationals in the House of Representatives capable of blocking Coalition legislation.

“When a member makes a decision on how they would vote in the parliament... they do so on the basis of a long-held conviction as a matter of principle on policy and that is afforded to every coalition member of Parliament,” Mr Morrison said.

“I have no doubt that sort of a decision would never be exercised in a way that would be anything other than based on a very important point of principle on policy.”

“I have that same respect for every single member of the government team.” Mr Morrison said.

Mr Morrison also defended the promotion of Keith Pitt, who was appointed to cabinet in the reshuffle following the resignation of Bridget McKenzie and Matt Canavan.

“I expect Mr Pitt to do an outstanding job. He will be Pitt the Performer.” Mr Morrison said.

“This is a bloke who was a sugar cane farmer, a tradie and he’s an electrical engineer. And Even better than that he’s a Queenslander, and even better than that he’s a North Queenslander. So how could he do anything other than an amazing job?”

Mr Morrison said Mr Pitt has “great capabilities” and will add “experience and real intellectual horsepower” to the tasks he is assigned.

“I think he was a fantastic pick.”

Cormann rejects Joyce threat

Earlier, Mathias Cormann threw cold water on Barnaby Joyce’s threat that he and his party supporters would cross the floor to block Coalition legislation, insisting the former Nationals leader will “play a constructive and important role” for the government.

The Finance Minister also said he “wouldn’t be surprised” if fallen agriculture minister Bridget McKenzie makes a return to cabinet “down the track”, as the National Party scrambles to restabilise itself after her resignation over the controversial $100 million sports grants program and a leadership spill in the same week.

Mr Cormann’s comments come after The Australian revealed Mr Joyce warned Scott Morrison on Thursday that the failure to put any of his supporters into the new ministry has created a Nationals rebel group in the House of Representatives capable of blocking Coalition legislation.

Since Tuesday’s failed leadership spill, disunity within the Nationals has also been spurred on by a push to require two-thirds of the partyroom vote for a future spill to occur, an idea which has since been shelved and Mr Joyce has spoken out against.

Speaking on Sky News on Friday, Senator Cormann said: “I’m convinced that Barnaby will continue as he has for a long time to play a constructive and important role as part of a strong and united Liberal National Coalition team.”

Senator Mathias Cormann at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: Kym Smith

He said that while it was the right of members of the Coalition to “take a particular position” and cross the floor on votes, he did not expect Mr Joyce to do so, and while he had crossed the floor in the past, that had been “a very very very long time ago”.

SenatorCormann refused to respond to a question about whether he thinks Mr Joyce should have been appointed to the cabinet to appease any disunity in the Nationals, insisting: “these are not judgments for me to make. Ultimately the lineup of national party ministers is a matter for the leader of the National Party.”

When asked if he believed Senator McKenzie could return to a cabinet position, Senator Cormann said “of course”, and that it “obviously depends on the circumstances down the track”.

“Look at the political history of Australia,” he said. “Bridget Mackenzie made an error in not disclosing a conflict of interest, which put her in breach with ministerial standards, and that is the reason why she resigned. She obviously paid a high price.

“Bridget Mackenzie is a very talented Member of Parliament. She’s made a great contribution in the past, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she had the opportunity to make a contribution again within the ministry in the future.” Senator Cormann said.

Labor government services spokesman Bill Shorten said Michael McCormack should not have “punished” Mr Joyce’s supporters during the cabinet reshuffle this week. “If Mr McCormack, because he’s angry at Mr Joyce, has punished all of Mr Joyce’s supporters and rewarded all of his own that’s not the way to run a political party,” Mr Shorten told Sky News on Friday.

“Political parties are bigger than one person.”

Joyce warns PM: Nat rebels to cross floor

Nationals disunity over ­Michael McCormack’s leadership and the party’s direction is threatening the stability of the Coalition and the ability of the Prime Minister to implement his agenda.

The government has a lower house majority of only two seats and at least three Nationals MPs — Barnaby Joyce, George Christensen and Llew O’Brien — are prepared to use their balance of power to vote down government legislation in retaliation for Mr McCormack’s refusal to promote any of his opponents to the frontbench.

There is particular bitterness that the re-elected Nationals leader did not restore former resources minister Matt Canavan to cabinet after he “did the honourable thing” and resigned to support Mr Joyce in Tuesday’s leadership spill.

Mr Joyce told Mr Morrison about noon on Thursday that promoting only those who voted for

 

Mr McCormack was not “smart” and created a “precarious position”. He also cautioned Mr Morrison that there would now be a “corner” in the House of Representatives filled with his supporters who were “very aware” they would hold the balance of power.

Mr O’Brien, a Queensland Nat­ionals MP and Joyce backer, said the government could not take his vote for granted and there were now more Nationals MPs likely to cross the floor on rural and regional issues. “Crossing the floor is something I’ve always considered on every vote,” he said. “You can’t take my vote for granted … I’ll be looking at everything.”

As divisions widened over the Nationals leadership, a push by Victorian Nationals MP Anne Webster to introduce a new rule requiring two-thirds of the partyroom to agree to a leadership spill before one could occur was also threatening to destabilise the party. Writing in The Australian, Mr Joyce says he is “fervently ­opposed” to the change because it would remove a key democratic attribute of the party: the ability of senators and members to determine their leader.

NSW Nationals MP David Gillespie, who seconded Mr O’Brien’s spill motion on Tuesday, criticised the two-thirds rule as “very counter-productive”.

Currently, any Nationals MP can move a spill motion against the leader and require only a seconder before a ballot can occur.

Mr Joyce compared the move to lift the leadership spill threshold to the “autocracies” of Russia and China.

“In the Nationals, you are not sacked if you cross the floor,” Mr Joyce said. “The vote last Tuesday should not be a precursor to changing our party culture. Parties that change the threshold of a successful vote or change the threshold for access to the test for a vote on the false premise of cohesion are merely disenfranchising people with the same excuse as is always used. It works better for Russia when Vladimir Putin does not have an election.”

Mr McCormack said it would be a matter for the party and its management as to whether the two-thirds rule proceeded but Ms Webster’s desire to end speculation about the leadership was “probably an important thing”.

The cabinet reshuffle was ­triggered by former agriculture minister Bridget McKenzie’s resignation from cabinet after she breached ministerial standards in the sports rorts saga.

“These new portfolio positions represent experience; they represent new talent,” Mr McCormack said. “Onwards and upwards from here.”

Mr Morrison will preside over a cabinet that many Coalition MPs say has been weakened, amid concerns over Queensland Nationals MP Keith Pitt’s meteoric rise from the backbench and the departure of Senator Canavan, who was resources and northern Australia minister for more than two years.

Mr Pitt, 50, a former sugar cane farmer, tradesman and engineer who until Thursday had served only as an assistant minister, takes on a new super-portfolio of Resources, Northern Australia and Water. He will have two departments advising him on a range of difficult issues, including the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and a mining industry facing pushback amid increasing concern over ­climate change.

New Nationals deputy leader David Littleproud was named Agriculture and Drought Minister and will retain the Emergency Management portfolio.

Darren Chester, a McCormack ally, kept his portfolios of Veterans and Defence Personnel but they have been elevated into cabinet. It is the first time since the early 1990s that veterans’ affairs has been in cabinet.

Mr Chester insisted he was not rewarded in the reshuffle for being loyal to Mr McCormack.

“Michael doesn’t operate like that. Michael is as straight as they come,” Mr Chester told ABC TV.

Mr McCormack’s former assistant minister Andrew Gee was promoted to Decentralisation and Regional Education Minister, while NSW Nationals backbencher Kevin Hogan was appointed the Deputy Prime Minister’s new assistant minister.

Mr Morrison urged calm after Mr Joyce’s warning about the breakaway group, which came about an hour after the Prime Minister had formally accepted and announced Mr McCormack’s ministerial recommendations. The Prime Minister has also indicated he will be prepared to listen to all MPs’ particular concerns about legislation and recognised the instability and resentment caused by a leadership challenge.

Moderate Liberal MPs, who stressed this week that climate change action was essential, believed Mr Joyce and Senator Canavan would sit on the backbench and pile unrealistic pressure on Mr Pitt, an advocate for nuclear and coal. “He is going to get ripped to pieces,” one Liberal MP said.

“Barnaby and Canavan’s tactic is to cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war and just make McCormack’s life miserable.”

Mr Pitt’s appointment gained the backing of pro-coal conservative Liberal MPs, including Tony Pasin and Craig Kelly.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING: GREG BROWN, JOE KELLY