Bridget McKenzie's leaked letter exposes Nationals’ secret plan to ditch Coalition
A leaked letter has ignited claims that Nationals Senate Leader Bridget McKenzie was considering a Coalition split even before Sussan Ley became Liberal Leader.
The letter, sent to Liberal Senate leader Michaelia Cash on May 12, came days after Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price quit the Nationals to join the Liberals.
The Nationals have argued the Coalition break-up was about policy, but the letter shows a split was being weighed as soon as Senator Price left.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The document warns that losing party status in the Senate would have “significant implications for the Nationals Senate team as well as the wider Coalition”.
“It is understood Senator Nampijinpa Price’s defection to sit in the Liberal Party room is associated with overtures from the Liberal Party and an intention to stand for a leadership position in the Parliamentary Liberal Party,” Ms McKenzie’s letter, published by News Corp, said.
“As a result of her defection, together with the severe drop in Liberal Party vote in New South Wales, from 1 July 2025 The Nationals will hold only four seats in the Senate.
“This is below what is required to maintain party status in the Senate as a party that is ‘part of the Government or the Opposition’ under the Parliamentary Business Resources Regulations 2017.”
In the final line, Ms McKenzie makes the threat explicit: “Depending on the outcome of negotiations between our two parties over coming weeks, The Nationals Senate Party room will need to consider our position with respect to sitting with the Liberal Party as Coalition in the Senate chamber.”
Ms Ley was elected Liberal leader just 24 hours later on Tuesday, May 13, and within a week the Coalition collapsed for the first time since the 1980s.
