Calls for National Party unity falling on deaf ears

Under the Nationals’ party rules, at least two MPs have to support a motion to spill their party leader.

Nationals leader Michael McCormack in Canberra on Monday. Picture: AAP

Under the Nationals’ party rules, at least two MPs have to support a motion to spill their party leader.

Sources have confirmed that this is what will happen in the ­partyroom on Tuesday, despite ­internal warnings that ousting the leader was “un-National”.

There has been just one leadership challenge in the Nationals partyroom in 30 years — when Charles Blunt launched a leadership coup against Ian Sinclair on May 9, 1989.

Coincidentally, Mr Sinclair was the Nationals member for the NSW seat of New England, the same seat that former party leader Barnaby Joyce — who has said he will challenge Nationals leader Michael Mr McCormack for the top job — now holds.

Victorian MP Damian Drum, the Nationals chief whip and a staunch backer of Mr McCormack, said a person must call for a spill of the leadership position and that call must be seconded.

If that occurred, the position would be declared vacant, nominations would be put forward and a vote would be conducted.

Mr McCormack could also declare all positions vacant before a spill motion was moved.

The position of Nationals deputy leader is already vacant after Bridget McKenzie was forced to resign over sports rorts.

On Monday, Mr Drum was not expecting a spill to be called because of the support he believed Mr McCormack still had in the partyroom. However, Queensland Nationals MP Llew O’Brien confirmed to The Australian he would move a spill motion against Mr McCormack and was backing Mr Joyce to replace him.

Mr Joyce said there was a seconder of the motion.

Former veteran NSW Nationals senator John “Wacka” Williams said that, historically, leadership challenges in the junior Coalition partner were extremely rare.

“When you have Nationals leaders, it is un-National to challenge the leader. Not unnatural, un-National,” he said.

Andrew Peacock ousted then opposition leader John Howard from the Liberal Party’s top job on the same day Mr Blunt rolled Mr Sinclair. Less than a year later, they failed to ­dislodge the Hawke government at the federal poll.