Coalition fallout: Liberal Party to meet and discuss Nationals demands, Kevin Hogan expects acceptance
The Liberal Party is expected to accept four policy demands made by the Nationals as a condition for the Coalition getting back together.
Liberal leader Sussan Ley addressed her party room during a virtual hook up on Thursday evening, with MPs agreeing on broad support for remaining in the political marriage following the shock split.
The demands made by the Nationals are expected to be further discussed by Liberal MPs in another meeting at 1pm on Friday.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.They include a commitment to nuclear energy, divestiture powers against supermarkets, boosting phone connectivity in the bush, and a regional investment fund.
Deputy Nationals leader Kevin Hogan said he expected the Liberals to accept their terms.
“They’re saying that they now will, and those type of policies are really important to us,” he told Nine’s Today on Friday.
“Some of those policies took us five years to negotiate and get through the Coalition party room process, and we don’t want to lose them.
“Otherwise they may never come back onto the policy agenda again.”
At a press conference at Parliament House on Thursday, Nationals leader David Littleproud said both leaders had agreed to hold off announcing their shadow cabinets and portfolio allocations in the hopes of a reunion.
The Nationals have flagged they would accept a commitment from the Liberals to removing the moratorium on nuclear power, rather than doubling down on the previous policy to build seven power plants.
There’s confidence an agreement can be reached, given the chaos an alternative could lead to after Labor’s landslide election win.
The Nationals pulled out of the decades-long coalition arrangement after Mr Littleproud said he failed to get Ms Ley to recommit to key policies they took to the election.
Ms Ley didn’t outright reject the policies during initial talks, but said she couldn’t commit to anything so soon after the election defeat as the party room had to review its policies.
Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie said the convention after an election was the platform taken to a poll remained the same until explicitly removed.
“The Liberal Party changed that modus operandi,” she told Sky News.
Members on both sides of the aisle have questioned why an agreement needed to be rushed only weeks after an overwhelming election loss.
