Election 2022: Barnaby Joyce facing threat on leadership

Barnaby Joyce may face a contest for the Nationals leadership, with three MPs indicating they will make a tilt for the position.

Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce. Picture: Brad Hunter

Barnaby Joyce may face a contest for the Nationals leadership, with three MPs indicating they will make a tilt for the position amid concerns his pro-coal rhetoric and stance on net-zero targets is pulling the party too far to the right and may threaten its future electoral success.

Deputy leader David Littleproud, Gippsland MP Darren Chester and former Nationals leader Michael McCormack are considering a run at the leadership when the partyroom meets on Monday, with Mr Littleproud warning that anti-climate change sentiments aired by some Nationals members during the campaign had caused a negative swing against the party in some regional seats.

The party is being further ­destabilised by fractures over its commitment to net zero, which have been reignited in the fallout of the Coalition’s election loss.

Queensland senator Matt Canavan doubled down on his position on Tuesday, saying net zero was “destroying the world” and voters had abandoned the Coalition because they had “greenwashed” themselves.

The infighting comes despite the Nationals outperforming the Liberals off the back of a bumper $21bn regional cash splash in the budget, managing to retain all their seats and bolstering their power in the Coalition.

Climate change action has emerged as a seat-swinging issue after a wave of teal independents successfully unseated moderate Liberal MPs by campaigning on a platform of ambitious climate targets, as well as the success of the Greens in picking up 12 Senate spots and three lower house seats.

Mr Chester said he was giving the leadership position “some thought” and the next leader had to be someone who held more mainstream views. “I certainly had people come up to me during the campaign and say they weren’t going to vote for me ­because they didn’t like my leader,” he told the ABC.

Mr Littleproud said the ­Coalition was moving too far to the right.