National leader David Littleproud says a coalition is untenable under the leadership of Sussan Ley. Photo David Littleproud
UPDATED 10 am: The Coalition has collapsed, with Nationals leader David Littleproud laying the blame firmly at the feet of Liberal leader Sussan Ley.
Last night, Ms Ley sacked three National Party frontbenchers – Bridget McKenzie, Ross Cadell and Susan McDonald – when they voted against the Shadow Cabinet position on the Albanese Government’s hate speech laws. The eight remaining Nationals on the Opposition’s front bench – in both Houses of Parliament – quit their positions Wednesday night.
This morning, he informed Ms Ley that the coalition was no more.
“It’s done. I spoke to Sussan Ley … and made her fully aware,” he said.
This is the second time since the election that the Nationals have walked away from the Coalition, but this split puts increasing pressure on the leadership of Ms Ley.
“The reality is we are at a juncture where no one in our ministry could work in a Sussan Ley ministry and my party made that clear,’ Mr Littleproud said.
“That’s why the Coalition was made untenable.”
He added that it was time for the Liberal Party to “reflect who they are, what they are, what they get to do. And us [not] being there probably allows them the opportunity to do that.”
Ms Ley said the focus of today – 22 January – should be on “the victims of the Bondi terrorist attack”.
“This is a National Day of Mourning and my responsibility as leader of the opposition and leader of the Liberal Party is to Australians in mourning,” she said.
More to come.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has accepted the resignations of three senior Nationals who broke shadow cabinet solidarity, but has urged the rest of the senior Nationals to rethink their decisions to also quit. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
9:15 am: The Federal Opposition is once again in disarray, and the Coalition agreement is in tatters as Nationals frontbenchers quit the shadow ministry en masse on Wednesday night in response to Sussan Ley’s dumping of three Senators who broke cabinet solidarity.
Nationals leader David Littleproud and his whole senior team threw a massive tantrum to storm off to the Opposition’s back benches after three errant Nationals senators lost their frontbench positions.
Ms Ley is urging them to reconsider their decisions.
Labor’s hate speech laws cost the jobs of Nationals senators Bridget McKenzie, Ross Cadell and Susan McDonald, who defied the Opposition Leader on Tuesday night to vote against the Coalition’s official position to vote for the bill in the Senate.
While the Nationals, on the whole, voted against the Labor and Liberals agreed to amendments to the hate laws, shadow ministers have an obligation to uphold shadow cabinet solidarity.
On Wednesday, Ms Ley made it clear that those rules were not up for negotiation – even if Mr Littleproud had given his approval for the senators to break ranks.
And she pointed out that her shadow cabinet had voted unanimously to support the legislation if the Coalition’s changes to it were accepted.
In a statement, Ms Ley said shadow cabinet met on Sunday night, examined the legislation, and unanimously agreed on a “clear path forward” in the national interest.
The unanimous shadow cabinet decision was to “negotiate specific fixes” with the government, and having secured those amendments, members of the shadow cabinet were bound not to vote against the legislation.
“Maintaining a strong and functioning Coalition is in the national interest,” the Opposition Leader said.
“The Coalition exists to serve the Australian people. But shadow cabinet solidarity is not optional.
“It is the foundation of serious opposition and credible government.”
The three senators offered their resignations from the shadow cabinet late on Wednesday, and Ms Ley accepted them.
Following the resignations and Ms Ley’s acceptance, the Nationals called an emergency partyroom meeting. They decided that solidarity with their own senators was more important than shadow cabinet solidarity, or indeed Coalition solidarity.
The eight remaining Nationals on the Opposition’s front bench – in both Houses of Parliament – quit their positions Wednesday night.
Mr Littleproud had advised Ms Ley that that would be the most likely outcome if she accepted the resignations of the Nationals who had broken shadow cabinet solidarity.
Ms Ley had initially asked senators McKenzie, Cadell and McDonald to continue serving in the Coalition team, across their various parliamentary and committee duties, but from outside the shadow cabinet.
She also asked Mr Littleproud to provide three new nominees for appointment to the shadow cabinet.
That all soon became irrelevant as speculation of mass Nationals resignations turned into reality.
By 8 pm Wednesday, the Nationals leader wrote to the Liberal Party leader to inform her that he and his team were effectively taking their ball and going home.
Ms Ley issued another statement at 9 pm on Wednesday.
“This evening, I spoke with Leader of the Nationals, David Littleproud, and strongly urged him not to walk away from the Coalition,” she said.
“I have received additional offers of resignation from National Party shadow ministers, which I and my Liberal leadership group have determined are unnecessary.
“The Liberal Party supports the Coalition arrangements because they deliver the most effective political alliance for good government. I note that in David’s letter, he has not indicated that the Nationals are leaving the Coalition.
“No permanent changes will be made to the shadow ministry at this time, giving the National Party time to reconsider these offers of resignation.”
The hate speech laws drafted in response to the Bondi terror attack passed the Senate around 11 pm on Tuesday, with support from the Liberal Party but not the Nationals.
The Federal Government had watered down its bill considerably to secure the Opposition’s vote, but the bill still split the Coalition.
It was split in two so gun reform could be passed as separate legislation with the support of the Greens.
Racial vilification elements of the original bill were abandoned before the legislation was introduced, due to the government being unable to secure agreement from either the Coalition or the Greens.
Liberal MP Andrew Hastie quit Ms Ley’s frontbench late last year, not long after Liberal Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price was sacked from it.
