Senator Bridget McKenzie is being vocal in suggesting the Nationals should have more influence on the Coalition frontbench. Photo: File.
Negotiations between Coalition parties over the make-up of the new Federal Opposition have hit the testy stage, with the Nationals insisting they are owed a bigger-than-usual slice of the shadow frontbench.
Regarded as the junior party of the Coalition, the Nationals outperformed the Liberals at the 3 May election and now want proportionally more say in the coming term of parliament.
The Nationals want more frontbench positions and more substantial ones, which include the prized treasury portfolio.
And they are demanding to keep the trade shadow ministry.
Energy and manufacturing portfolios are also being fought over.
With the Nationals re-electing David Littleproud as their leader and the Liberals electing Sussan Ley to be the first woman ever to lead them, the pair has embarked on discussions over the Coalition’s frontbench carve-up.
Neither leader is saying much publicly about how those talks are progressing.
“We had productive conversations,” Ms Ley said during morning television interviews.
“We had a good first meeting. It certainly won’t be the last. I won’t talk about what we discussed.
“But I will say this – the thing that unites our party room and unites Liberals and Nationals is that we are here to work very hard for the Australian people, and that’s what drives me every single day.”
The Nationals’ Senate leader Bridget McKenzie, however, has been more vocal about her party’s representation on the frontbench since it held all its seats and increased its vote.
She wants frontline economic positions to be awarded to the Nationals in light of their increased proportion.
Senator McKenzie has also been vocal about the Coalition agreement not being taken for granted or considered an absolute given going forward.
“It’s an historic fact that the Nationals led economic debates in the past, and there should be no reason to constrain the portfolios of the modern National Party,” she said in one interview.
The portfolio split between the Coalition partners is usually handed out on a proportional basis, although the Nationals were given two extra spots in the last parliament, much to the disgruntlement of some Liberal MPs, taking their total to nine frontbench positions.
The Liberals are now pushing back against the invigorated Nationals, but with a more evenly represented make-up in the coming Federal Parliament, the ‘’senior’’ party isn’t coming to the negotiation table from a position of strength.
Negotiations are expected to be protracted, with not much hope of a solid outcome anytime soon.
One issue being discussed between the parties is their position on the net-zero emissions target, with the Nationals wanting the Coalition to walk away from it and Ms Ley agreeing to consider all possibilities.
The new Liberal Party leader has stressed that she will have a different style than her predecessor Peter Dutton, who not only lost the election but also his own seat on 3 May.
“People reflect on the female aspects, and I understand that and I want to say it’s significant, but my appointment is about much more than that,” she said.
“We didn’t meet the expectations of the Australian people at the last election. We have to change. We have to step up. We have to have a fresh approach.”
Ms Ley said she would shape the Liberals’ policy agenda to meet the needs of modern Australians, including women.
She said while all members of the Liberal and National parties had to accept some responsibility for Labor’s emphatic federal election victory, the Coalition now had to rebuild and look forward.
“Now is about the future, it is about the next election, it is about the team that I lead, and it is about optimism and a sense of purpose, and always remembering that we are elected,” she said.
“Peter Dutton and I have different styles, we’re different personalities, and I will bring a different approach to my leadership.”
