Queensland senator Matt Canavan to challenge David Littleproud as senior Nationals warn: if Coalition splits, so be it

Former Morrison government minister Matt Canavan is challenging David Littleproud for the Nationals leadership, as senior members accuse the Liberals of not behaving like true partners and blaming the party for the extent of the election loss.

Queensland Nationals senator Matthew Canavan. Picture: NewsWire/ Richard Gosling

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Queensland Nationals senator Matt Canavan, a minister in the Turnbull and Morrison governments, is challenging for the leadership of the National Party, deepening the crisis in the crushed Coalition and increasing the rift with the Liberals. 

Senator Canavan will challenge incumbent leader David Littleproud in a partyroom meeting in Canberra on Monday with an appeal for the Nationals to fight for themselves and their supporters in the face of Liberal Party losses and the defection of Jacinta Nampijinpa Price to the bigger Coalition partner.

Senior Nationals are accusing the Liberals of not behaving like true partners and of betraying the faith of the Country Liberal Party and their supporters, and blame the Liberals for the extent of the loss, warning that if the Coalition should split then “so be it”. 

One senior National MP said Senator Nampijinpa Price’s defection on Thursday to the Liberal Party would “have an effect on the Coalition agreement”, with the future of the agreement now in question and due to be discussed at the next National Party federal management meeting.

Senator Canavan told The Australian: “On Monday, I plan to stand for the leadership of the Nationals party to bring back our fighting spirit. Only if we fight, will we have a fighting chance.”

“David Littleproud can be enormously proud of his role in defeating the voice, putting nuclear power on the agenda, and having divestiture powers adopted as Coalition policy for the first time,” the former resources minister said in an article for The Australian. “But this debate is not about protecting his job or mine. This is about fighting for the jobs and livelihoods of the many people we represent. Many of the people that vote for the Nationals party have to shower after work, not before it. 

“Our plan should be based on how we can save the country, not save the party. I am standing for my party’s leadership so that I can tell my kids I did everything I could to fight for a better life for them. 

“The plan we took to the last election was rejected. We need a new plan. I have been arguing for a different approach ever since we signed up to net zero. So I believe that I am in a stronger position to prosecute change. 

David Littleproud with Matt Canavan in 2016.

“We should scrap the futile and unachievable goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. Net zero makes everything more expensive and it is not helping the environment given that the US, China and India are no longer even paying lip service to it. 

“The primary goal of our electricity system should be to reduce power bills not reduce emissions.”

While the Nationals appear to have held their seats in the House of Representatives, the defection of Senator Nampijinpa Price to the Liberals and the loss of the Nationals’ deputy leader, Perin Davey, after she was relegated to a losing spot on the NSW Senate ticket below two Liberals, there is rising anger over the election result. 

The Nationals were also unable to win back the NSW seat of Calare from former Nationals MP, Andrew Gee, who resigned from the party and won the central west seat as an independent with a big swing towards him. Nor did the Nationals gain the new seat of Bullwinkel in Western Australia or the Labor-held seat of Bendigo after a close contest. But because of the extent of the Liberal losses, including Peter Dutton’s own seat of Dickson in Queensland, the Nationals now have their greatest proportion of Coalition seats since the 1960s and ’70s. 

Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price. Picture: Gera Kazakov

Nationals Senate leader Bridget McKenzie has publicly blamed the Liberals for the extent of the loss and complained about the “recruitment” of Senator Nampijinpa Price into the Liberals’ partyroom five days after she was elected as a CLP senator. On Friday Senator McKenzie told The Australian the Nationals had taken collective responsibility for the loss and were better placed than then Liberals in “an arithmetic and cultural sense”. 

“What I’m very concerned about is that it now seems that the Liberal Party was actively recruiting Senator Nampijinpa Price five days out from an election. That is not the behaviour of partners, of trusted partners,” she said. 

“Those of us in the National Party aren’t just Liberals that live in the country. We actually have a very separate political philosophy and a long tradition. We’re over 100 years old, and we are very renowned in our communities for delivering for them. 

“The Liberal Party has got a lot of deep thinking to do. We wish them well with that, but they shouldn’t be seeking to damage us in the process of trying to rebuild themselves.”

On Monday all three Nationals leadership positions – the leader, deputy and Senate leader – will be declared vacant, with Senator Davey, given her departure on July 1, not expected to renominate. 

Senator Canavan in parliament. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Senator Nampijinpa Price’s decision to run on the Nationals ticket and then switch to the Liberals just days after the election was blasted by colleagues, who said the “pressure” was now on Mr Littleproud to contain the fallout.

While one argument was that the Nationals needed to land an “above the pay rate” Coalition agreement – allowing the party more shadow ministry positions than what would be nominally based on their diminished numbers – other Nationals sources said the whole agreement was now in question.

“There’s every chance you don’t see Coalition agreements for 12 or even 18 months,” one MP said.

“We’d be looking at the Western Australian model. That will now be a conversation no matter who wins (Liberal leadership).”

The Nationals MP pointed to the handling of defections in the past – for example, when Ian Macfarlane left the Liberals – and said that back then, the leaders got together to speak about the matter and how it could be handled best for both parties.

That was different to the Nationals party being completely blindsided by Senator Nampijinpa Price, with sources telling The Australians she had informed her colleagues of her decision only “15 minutes” before putting out her public statement.

The future of the Coalition agreement will be discussed at the National Party federal management meeting next Friday, attended by the heads of state party branches, with MPs confirming “permission” would be sought to “go hard” on the deal with the Liberals.

“No one will go break up the … Coalition without the permission and consent of the broader party,” one Nationals MP said.

“There will certainly be a discussion of permission or otherwise on Coalition agreements.”

Senator Canavan said Nationals supporters are being worn down: “While our banks grow fat on the teat of carbon credits and green subsidies, our workers pay for it every quarter in their power bill and every week in their shopping trolley.” 

“The greatest disappointment of our election loss is that we let down Western Australian sheep graziers, truck drivers, fencing contractors and their families. For the first time in history an Australian government is shutting down an entire industry, the live sheep trade. Thousands will be put out of work at a time of economic crisis,” he said. 

“Our government has stopped a goldmine because of a story about a mythical bee. Water buybacks are killing our nation’s foodbowl. And Labor is conducting an experiment to see if we can power major industry based on weather forecasts,” he added, as part of an argument to drop the 2050 net-zero carbon emissions target. 

“The now Labor-Green Senate means that we may lose much more. Almost all of the jobs at risk are outside our capital cities.

“The Coalition adopted an election strategy that we could save these jobs by not fighting for them. We did not visit the abandoned goldmine. West Australian farmers barely got a mention. 

“We were lectured that we should not speak up because ‘city’ voters would be repelled if we fought for farmers, miners and factory workers.

“The Nationals party did well at the election but only relative to the disastrous result for the Liberals. We failed in the task to help win government.

“The Nationals should return to a more forthright style that helped deliver recent election victories.”

Senator Canavan argued for increased regional settlement, higher birthrates and family support through income splitting.

“We need to provide more support to the family unit through income splitting and increased family tax benefits to give people the financial freedom to have the family they want,” he said.