Calm urged over potential NSW Coalition ‘split’

A taskforce of senior NSW Liberal MPsm have mobilised the troops to ensure there was ‘no stupidity’ ahead of a party­room meeting to consider breaking up the state Coalition.

NSW Liberal leader Mark Speakman. Picture: Nikki Short

A taskforce of senior Liberal MPs, alongside former leaders and longstanding party figures, ­mobilised the troops and hit the phones on Monday to ensure there was “no stupidity” at a party­room meeting on Tuesday to consider breaking up the state Coalition.

The parliamentary NSW Liberals will consider the future of their partnership with the state Nationals on Tuesday after four days of back and forth instigated by a since-deleted Facebook post by Nationals MP Wes Fang.

“A coalition of the old guard from within the party have been busy all day, deploying the troops through their informal networks to ensure nothing stupid happens tomorrow (breaking up the Coalition),” one senior Liberal source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said.

Mr Fang’s post took aim at Opposition Leader Mark Speakman’s visit to Wagga, accusing him of “slinking” into the Riverina without telling him.

It led to a back and forth between Mr Speakman and Nat­ionals leader Dugald Saunders as to who had the power to sack Mr Fang, about which the latter was refusing to agree to.

Liberal members were summoned to a compulsory partyroom on Tuesday to potentially discuss a split, although it remains unlikely a break-up of the Coalition would be signed off.

Liberal Anthony Roberts, the longest-serving MP in the house, urged perspective and calm to ensure the continuation of the political “marriage”.

“The Coalition has worked successfully for the people of NSW, both for those in the city and in the regions,” he said.

“It’s a strong, robust relationship … marriages have arguments, but there’s strength in that unity and in the separation (of the two parties).”

Mr Roberts said the “blue” over Mr Fang’s post had distracted from state parliamentary matters, and members helping to campaign for the federal party.

Mr Speakman, after unfruitful discussions with Mr Saunders to remove Mr Fang from the opposition Treasury spokesman’s role, issued a statement on Friday saying he had personally sacked the upper house member.

Mr Saunders released his own a few hours later, saying the Liberal leader did not have the authority to do so, compounded later that day by correspondence from the parliamentary clerk suggesting similar.

However, on Monday, updated advice said an email from Mr Speakman was “sufficient to authorise” changes of opposition spokes­people, with the matter to be progressed “as a priority”.

Other Liberal MPs, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Tuesday’s meeting would set out what happened, from Mr Speakman’s perspective.

“He’s got to explain how we got here,” one senior insider said.

“Leaving the Coalition should be an option, it needs to be available, but I don’t think it will be signed off tomorrow – it’s the last resort, not the first option.”

One party insider said Mr Speakman was vindicated on Monday in that he had the right to remove Mr Fang from the shadow ministry, and it “didn’t take a genius” to understand how opposition worked.

Another said Mr Speakman had reacted to a Daily Telegraph article that accused him of having no “dog” about him, and wanted to assert his authority.

Nationals, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the situation had been “blown out of proportion” by Mr Speakman, and called the situation “ridiculous” and “unnecessary”.