‘Lib-style’ bid to shore up Michael McCormack spurned

A controversial survival plan seeking to entrench Michael McCormack’s leadership has been shelved.

Deputy PM Michael McCormack during Question Time in the House of Representatives in Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: Gary Ramage

A controversial survival plan seeking to entrench Michael McCormack’s leadership — by requiring two-thirds of the Nationals partyroom vote for a spill to occur — has been shelved.

Victorian Nationals MP Anne Webster had been planning to put a motion to the partyroom on Monday to vote for the new two-thirds rule, in a bid to ensure Mr McCormack could get on with his job undistracted after he fended off a leadership challenge from Barnaby Joyce.

Ms Webster said there were “administrative issues” with the motion, which had been withdrawn and would now be left with “party management”.

There was also a backlash from some Nationals MPs.

Under Ms Webster’s plan, a Nationals MP could call for a spill motion and two-thirds of the party­room would have to agree before a ballot took place.

As it stands, a Nationals MP can call for a spill motion and only needs one colleague to second that ­before a challenge can proceed.

“I believe the overall impact (of the two-thirds rule) will bring stability­ and certainty, and I think that’s really important,” Ms ­Webster told The Australian.

“It’s important that Michael McCormack as our leader can get on with his job without the specul­ation constantly over his shoulder.

“It doesn’t mean there isn’t going to be a tussle for leadership come an election and we lose. There is scope for leadership change — it’s just giving stability during the time we are actually in power. That’s important.”

National sources said the party would consider whether to change its rules in the coming months.

A Joyce supporter who did not want to be named slammed what they said was a “dramatic shift toward­s looking like the Liberals” that would be “very inflammat­ory” in the Nationals.

“Michael (McCormack) indica­ted he wanted to draw a line under leadership tensions. This is not drawing a line under leadership issues­,” the MP said.

The Liberals under Scott Morrison introduced new rules in Decemb­er 2018 ensuring a sitting prime minister could only be remove­d by a two-thirds partyroom majority.

Mr McCormack told Sky News he would like to see the rules changed because it would “put an end to the media having that opportu­nity to sometimes stir up the hornets’ nest when the hornets’ nest isn’t necessarily needing to be stirred up at all”.

Veterans Minister Darren Chester and Regional Services Minister Mark Coulton, both staunch McCormack supporters, backed Ms Webster’s proposal.

“We need to stop constant leadership speculation. Lib and Labor have it sorted, makes sense for Nats,” Mr Coulton said.

Nationals Senate whip Perin Davey said the idea had merit but she needed to give it further consideration and look at how it could work with the party’s constitution.

“We pride ourselves on being a democratic party but there is merit to making sure there aren’t just spurious challenges because it’s quite disruptive,’’ Senator Davey said. “We don’t have a history of having a lot of unnecessary challenges. There has been less impetus for such a clause in the past.”

Mr Joyce would not rule out a future leadership tilt but said he had no intentions to challenge anyone. “People say ‘never, ever would you ever consider standing again’ — well you can’t do that because you just don’t know what the circumstances are in the future,” he told ABC radio on Wednesday.