Senator Bridget McKenzie, Nationals Leader David Littleproud and Deputy Leader Kevin Hogan. Photo: David Littleproud Instagram.
National Party leader David Littleproud has revealed that he and Liberal leader Sussan Ley have agreed to delay the dissolution of the Federal Coalition and to pursue a possible reconciliation.
The pause in hostilities comes after Mr Littleproud and Ms Ley were locked in talks this morning (22 May) after conflicting information emerged surrounding communications between the parties in the lead up to Tuesday’s sensational falling out.
At least four Nationals MPs, including Barnaby Joyce, Darren Chester and Michael McCormack, had reportedly expressed concerns over the split, and Ms Ley is reported to have reached out to them to try to garner support for a reconciliation.
The crisis talks come after Nationals’ leader in the Senate, Bridget McKenzie, told the ABC’s 7.30 on Wednesday night that Ms Ley’s refusal to agree to the Nationals’ four key policy demands had been the only reason her party had walked away from the Coalition.
Despite the Liberals wanting to put all policy positions on the table following the Coalition’s disastrous 3 May election showing, the Nationals insisted that four policies were non-negotiable.
These are commitments to establish a $20 billion Regional Australia Future Fund; to legislate federal divestiture powers that could break up big businesses that abuse market power; a universal service obligation to guarantee mobile coverage across Australia; and to lift Australia’s ban on nuclear energy.
However, it has been widely reported that other issues also contributed to the bust-up, including a refusal by the Nationals to guarantee the confidentiality and solidarity of a Coalition shadow cabinet.
Shortly after Senator McKenzie’s segment ended, but while 7.30 host Sara Ferguson was still live on air, she read out a text from Sussan Ley’s office contradicting the claims Senator McKenzie had just made.
“It is not correct to suggest shadow cabinet solidarity was not a sticking point,” the message reportedly said.
“We have it in writing that it was a requirement from their leader’s office to ours.
“Her language was deliberate to make it sound like it was just about the policies. That is just not correct.”
Mr Littleproud admitted this morning that he had requested an exemption to shadow cabinet solidarity from Ms Ley, but said he had not raised that with his colleagues in the Nationals party room meeting when it was decided to quit the Coalition.
It was also revealed this morning that Senator McKenzie has sent a letter to her Liberal counterpart Michaelia Cash on 12 May – two days before the Liberals elected Ms Ley as their new leader to succeed Peter Dutton – which said, “depending on the outcome of negotiations between our two parties over coming weeks”, the Nationals were reconsidering their “position with respect to sitting with the Liberal Party as a Coalition in the Senate chamber”.
This afternoon, Mr Littleproud told the media that no such split was under consideration prior to his meetings with Ms Ley after her election to the leadership.
Regarding the talks between him and Ms Ley this morning, Mr Littleproud said he had taken a “leap of faith” to pause the dissolution of the coalition so that Ms Ley could go back to her party room to possibly find some common ground. While he didn’t reveal what concessions he was prepared to give to bring the two parties back together, it has been reported that nuclear energy might be one of them.
He said both leaders had agreed to delay announcing their shadow front benches for a week to give them time to find some more common ground.
“She made an offer to reconvene her party room to discuss the four policy areas the National Party demand as part of a Coalition agreement, and I thank her for that,” he said.
“As a consequence, I’ve decided to send those spokespeople home as a sign of good faith. And Sussan, as a sign of good faith, will not be announcing a shadow cabinet.”
While she has not revealed when she would reconvene her party room, Ms Ley said she “welcomed” the Nationals’ decision to consider a reconciliation.
“Earlier today I wrote to, and met with David, inviting him to re-enter good-faith negotiations,” she said in a brief statement. “I am pleased he has accepted.
“In relation to the policy positions proposed by the Nationals party room, consistent with my consultation commitment, the Liberal Party will consider these, utilising our party room processes.”
