Nationals must deal with John Barilaro, says Premier Gladys Berejiklian

Nats leader says Berejiklian government ministers who can’t work with him should leave ­cabinet.

John Barilaro says Berejiklian government ministers who can’t work with him should leave ­cabinet, deepening divisions in the NSW Coalition and setting the scene for a protracted feud between senior government ministers.

The NSW Nationals leader said his critics should “put up or shut up” as pressure mounted on Mr Barilaro to resign after a ­failed mutiny over the government’s environmental policies.

Mr Barilaro’s comments came as Police Minister David Elliott said Nationals MPs should “consider their leader” and Transport Minister Andrew Constance said it was a matter for the Deputy Premier’s ­“conscience” whether he should stay on.

“I think the fact that he has gone to ground is weak,” Mr ­Elliott said.

“I think he probably needs to consider his own position. I’m suggesting his leadership is untenable.”

Mr Barilaro said he would “be in cabinet and I’ll be at (expenditure review committee) and I’ll be as vocal as always, fighting for the bush”.

“It’s simple: if you don’t like it, you know where the door is,” the Nationals leader said.

“What made me proud last week was when the party united behind (Nationals MPs) Chris (Gulaptis) and Gurmesh (Singh), rather than see them go out alone and be bullied by some Liberals. I knew I had to fight harder … I have no regrets.”

The Coalition was thrown into crisis last week after Mr ­Gulaptis and Mr Singh threatened to move to the crossbench if the government did not make changes to a planning policy that sought to protect koala habitats.

Other Nationals MPs including Sam Farraway and Wes Fang also said they would move, eventually prompting Mr Barilaro to issue an ultimatum to Premier Gladys Berejiklian.

Ms Berejiklian said she would sack every Nationals MP from cabinet if they did not withdraw that threat — and Mr Barilaro backtracked from his position the next morning.

Mr Barilaro’s Liberal cabinet colleagues have warned that if he remains leader there is a possibility they will boycott Nationals electorates or refuse outright to work with him.

Ms Berejiklian refused to be drawn on Sunday on whether she thought Mr Barilaro should remain her deputy.

“As Premier, my responsibility is to work with the leader of the Nationals and the deputy premier, and that’s what I’ll ­always continue to do,” she said. “But it’s not for me to decide who or what that person is — that’s a matter for the National Party to deal with.”

Ms Berejiklian said all steps had been taken to prepare for the eventuality that the Nationals chose to defy her ultimatum and abstain from voting on government legislation.

“Everything was ready, and I want to make that very clear,” she said.

“We’d made arrangements that if I needed to take that course I would have.”

Despite animosity from Liberal MPs, Mr Barilaro continues to have the support of the ­Nationals partyroom.

The Australian contacted all NSW Nationals caucus members to gauge whether Mr Barilaro retained their support as leader. The majority — 13 out of 18, not including Mr Barilaro himself — backed his position.

Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall supports Mr Barilaro’s leadership, and said he backed the party’s position on koala protection laws and the “proposal put forward by our leader to the Premier”.

Others, however, were less enthusiastic.

Port Macquarie MP Leslie Williams, who has previously criticised Mr Barilaro, said the incident had “damaged our relationship with our Liberal colleagues”.

“What’s evident is we’ll have to work out, as a Nationals party, how we move forward as an ­effective Coalition government,” Ms Williams said.

Nationals MPs Ben Franklin, Geoff Provest, Trevor Khan and Steph Cooke did not return ­requests for comment.

Deputy Premier John Barilaro, outside NSW Parliamentary Offices last week, has been called ‘weak’ for going to ground over the drama. Picture: John Feder/The Australian.

Water Minister Melinda Pavey and Mental Health Minister Bronnie Taylor both said Mr Barilaro had been instrumental in the state’s COVID-19 revival, naming the reopening of pubs and clubs, the easing of border permits, and the return of school formals and community sport, as just some of the initiatives that, facing resistance, he pushed to deliver.

“John was instrumental in making sure border restrictions were loosened to allow agricultural production to continue, he was successful in his push for pubs and clubs to be reopened and put rugby league back on the field,” Ms Taylor said.

“Liberal Party ministers need to remember it’s John Barilaro they go to when they need a difficult decision made.”

Upper house MP Wes Fang said: “I would walk into fire for John Barilaro. John has an unusual style, there’s no question, but John is very much effective. He brings his team along with him and I think that’s really ­important.”

Labor will move a no-­confidence motion against the government when parliament resumes for sitting next week.