Australian news and politics recap May 20: National Party splits with Libs, ending Coalition

The Nationals’ decision to blow up the Coalition was in part because the smaller party wanted to sit within the shadow cabinet but not be bound to solidarity rules, Liberal sources say.

They suggested that the Nationals wanted to be able to have the ability to cross the floor on issues such as net zero.

There was also residual anger within the Nationals over Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s defection to the Liberal Party.

Nationals Senate leader Bridget McKenzie denied Senator Price’s defection had anything to do with the decision, saying: “This isn’t about soured views or otherwise.”

As to whether demands for frontbench freedom had factored into the decision, Senator McKenzie said the request had been around the four policies.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley was given a 30-minute heads up by Nationals leader David Littleproud that the junior party would not be re-entering a coalition agreement if the Liberals could not agree to a number of policy demands.

Liberal sources say that there ultimately would have been consensus on nuclear power, divestiture powers, a regional future fund and regional infrastructure.

But the party wanted the time and space to go through the policy review processes required.

Ms Ley has convened a virtual party room meeting for this afternoon.

In the wake of the Nationals calling it quits on the Coalition, former deputy prime minister Michael McCormack has slammed the Liberals as undisciplined, accusing them of spilling secrets over red wine to reporters.

Holding a press conference in Wagga Wagga on Tuesday shortly after leader David Littleproud revealed that the party would axe the agreement after nearly 80 years, the Riverina MP said change was needed.

“It’s time for discipline. It’s time for the parties to regroup and to rework,” Mr McCormack said.

“Members of some political parties will do well to learn … to not go and brief and background journalists anonymously.

“There’s nothing good comes of it. It’s bad for democracy. It’s bad for the Coalition and it’s bad for Australia.

“You’re only ever two or three red wines (away) for that journalist … to tell who said what and when and how.

“You don’t see too many National Party members quoted in newspapers, anonymously.

“Unfortunately, you do see a few Liberal members, a few too many.

“And I’ve said that. It’s no secret.

“If you’re going to have something to say, do it like I am. Put your name to it. Have the gut, the gumption and the guts to put your name to it.

“I loved journalists. I was a journalist. You know, you play an important part in democracy.

“But if you’re going to have your say, do so in front of the press pack and put your name to it. It’s not difficult.”

Riverina MP Michael McCormack says the Nationals “deserves respect” after holding their seats in a diabolical election for the Liberal Party.

Speaking in Wagga Wagga in the wake of his party’s rift from the Coalition agreement, the former deputy prime minister said that he didn’t believe their “city cousins” had “that same work ethic” as National MPs.

“We do deserve the respect. We do deserve the respect of the fact that we have won all of our seats,” he said.

“We’ve been able to transition those seats. I mean, the Liberals have lost seats in this election.

“They have a lot of soul searching to do but the work.

“The trouble is, and I’ve said it … I’m not saying anything new. I don’t know whether our city cousins always have that same work ethic.

“And it’s one thing to go into a new studio in Sydney or Melbourne and talk in those echo chambers, but it’s another thing to actually do the work on the ground.

“We’ve taken to the Liberal Party those four important policy areas. They weren’t guaranteed.”

Former Victoria Liberal president Micheal Kroger has been the latest to question why the National Party were so swift to walk away from the Coalition agreement.

Mr Kroger acknowledged the historic break-up of the Coalition after nearly 80 years but accused the party of being hasty in its call.

“I just think it’s a bit surprising that (the Nationals) would do this so quickly. I’m not sure what the hurry is to make this decision,” he told Sky News.

“I mean, this Coalition dates back … more than 100 years ago. I just wonder what the hurry was.

“It’s only two weeks since the Federal election. We know, Sussan Ley has had the great tragedy with her mother passing away.

“And I just wonder why the National Party were in such a hurry.

“Obviously, there are reasons for this but I would have thought the better course of action would be to stick with the Coalition that’s served Australia well and work through the policy differences over the next few months.

“I’m not sure why it’s necessary to have a breach at this time.”

Liberal leader Sussan Ley was alerted just 30 minutes prior that the Coalition was splitting.

The Australian reports that this was despite the Nationals being told that key policy demands would likely all be agreed to by the Liberals.

Ms Ley could not agree to the Nationals’ leaders demands that his shadow cabinet ministers be granted the right to a free vote and oppose the Liberals on issues including net zero emissions by 2050.

It was reported that Mr Littleproud had been assured that that while the Liberals would conduct a review, it was likely there would be no major splits between the parties on nuclear energy, divestiture laws, the $20bn regional future fund and regional communications.

It’s the political story of the day - the Nats sensationally splitting from the Libs after so many decades together.

Nationals leader David Littleproud has pointed to a breakdown in negotiations with Liberal Leader Sussan Ley over nuclear, divestuture powers, a Regional Australia Future Fund, and rural and regional mobile phone coverage.

It comes after a disastrous Federal election, leaving both parties with a lot of soul searching to do.

Nationals deputy leader Kevin Hogan has defended leader David Littleproud for axing ties with the Liberals just a week after Sussan Ley became the embattled party’s leader.

Speaking on Sky after Mr Littleproud announced the split on Tuesday in Canberra, Mr Hogan expressed his confidence the parties would unite again but said the Nationals fractured from the Liberals because key policies weren’t assured.

Asked if the party had been impatient, Mr Hogan said it was the Liberals who set the short timeframe for the Coalition agreement.

“I wasn’t involved in all these conversations but the timeline initially was put on us by the Liberals,” he said.

“The timeline was, ‘We want you to sign up to a Coalition agreement by the weekend’.

“And we said, ‘Well, give us a bit of time because we’re going to have to go through our party room process’.

“We actually then took our foot off the pedal over the weekend, out of respect for Sussan (after her mother passed away) as well. So part of the timeline was their timeline.”

Mr Hogan noted Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s deflection to the Liberal Party had been “disappointing” but ultimately it was the policy positions that pushed the party to cut ties.

New Greens leader Larissa Waters says the minor party will continue to push to lower the threshold of Labor’s super tax plan to $2 million.

She said the party had been engaged in “constructive talks for quite some time” and would continue to talk with the Government about a pathway for the legislation through the Senate.

With the Coalition staunchly opposed to the taxing of unrealised gains, Labor could pass the legislation with just the Greens in the new-look Parliament.

“We think maybe that threshold could be a bit lower because it is important that we have a good revenue base to fund things like hospitals and schools. And so we’ll continue those talks,” she said in a breakfast television appearance.

David Littleproud believes that nuclear must be part of the energy mix and regional communities carry the burden of the renewable transition.

He said families and the landscape were being “torn apart” by renewable infrastructure.

He said the nation needed to be “pragmatic” about energy policy, which has long divided the Liberal and Nationals party rooms.

“They have lost their social licence renewables, tearing up our landscape, tearing up our landscape, tearing up your food security and tearing families apart,” he said.

“Some get turbines, or transmission lines and I have seen families torn apart from that.

“We live with the consequence of that.”

Australia has joined 22 other countries in demanding Israel fully resume humanitarian aid deliveries into Gaza, and accused Israel of politicising the delivery of essentials to Palestinian civilians.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Israel would allow some aid to enter Gaza following a two-month blockade but international aid organisations have warned it won’t be enough to meet the needs of the two million Palestinians living in the besieged enclave, and would also risk the lives of humanitarian workers.

It comes as Mr Netanyahu ordered the IDF to intensify ground operations and said Israel would take full control of the strip.