Nats vote may cut Barnaby Joyce’s influence

Nationals MPs will decide on major reforms that could strip Barnaby Joyce of the power to pick cabinet and outer ministry positions.

Divisions inside the Nationals partyroom have been constant since Mr McCormack replaced Mr Joyce as leader in early 2018. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Nationals MPs will decide on major reforms that could strip Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce of the power to pick cabinet and outer ministry positions.

A group led by ­Nationals whips Damian Drum and Perin Davey has been tasked with preparing new models of selecting the party’s executive positions.

The process was sparked after former cabinet minister Darren Chester, a close ally of former leader Michael McCormack, introduced a discussion paper at a recent partyroom meeting suggesting changes to the country party’s 101-year tradition of empowering leaders to select their ministerial team.

Mr Drum said various options were being canvassed including allowing the partyroom to vote on executive positions, setting up state quota systems and sticking with the status quo.

One of the models could include a Labor-style factional model where ministries are shared across various groups. ­Another option could look at where the majority of MPs are from and whether states such as Queensland and NSW should have greater representation.

The reform work, which was allowed by Mr Joyce without the need for a formal partyroom vote, is understood to have been sparked by the movement of senior MPs in and out of ministerial portfolios after Nationals leadership changes in recent years.

A decision on whether to ­reform the ministerial selection process is expected to be made when Nationals MPs return to parliament next month, with a final model in place after the next federal election.

Mr Drum said the talks would allow Nationals MPs to come back after the election and know “how we’re going to go about picking our frontbench and our executive”.

“This could be sticking with the status quo where it simply ­relies on decision-making of the leader or whether or not this could be something that is voted on by peers in the room. All the pros and cons of options will be available when we get back and have that discussion,” he said.

A senior Nationals source said Mr Joyce had “inherited a party with no women and no senators in cabinet”.

“Three of those cabinet positions are already decided by the partyroom who vote for the leader, deputy leader and Senate leader,” the source said.

“Barnaby has always had women and senators in his senior team. You want a system that ­dilutes and doesn’t maximise the power of blocs and self-interest.”

A Nationals MP said they didn’t believe the reforms would “go anywhere”.

“I don’t imagine this gets up when it comes back to the party room,” the MP said. “It was a discussion topic rather than any formal vote. I can’t see anyone supporting a model like Labor. It was raised as an idea and the whips are having a look. That’s the extent of it.”

Divisions inside the Nationals partyroom have been constant since Mr McCormack replaced Mr Joyce as leader in early 2018.

Mr Joyce returned to the leadership after ousting Mr McCormack in a partyroom spill in June. Mr McCormack and allies Mr Chester and Mark Coulton then moved to the backbench, while Keith Pitt was demoted.