Liberals to discuss Nationals demands in snap meeting
The Liberals will reconvene for a second time to discuss the Nationals’ policy demands as talks are revived for a reconciliation between the two parties.
Nationals leader, David Littleproud has copped a sledge about his leadership ahead of a second Liberal meeting to discuss the Nationals’ four policy demands, after the two parties dramatically split.
The Liberal party room will reconvene virtually under leader Sussan Ley on Friday afternoon after the two parties returned to the negotiating table about the path to reconciliation.
The opposition signalled its broad support for remaining in a coalition with the Nationals during an address to the party room by Ley on Thursday evening.
The policies at the centre of the dispute include nuclear energy, divestiture powers against supermarkets, boosting phone connectivity in the bush, and a regional investment fund.
But a rift has also emerged on climate policy after Littleproud left the door open to dumping a commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050, following a challenge to his leadership over the target.
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The Nationals have flagged they would accept a promise from the Liberals to back the removal of a federal moratorium on nuclear power, rather than double down on the coalition’s previous policy to build seven power plants.
Meanwhile, former Nationals leader Michael McCormack said he was “ambitious” for Littleproud when asked if the leader had his full support.
He repeated the words used by former prime minister Scott Morrison during the Liberal Party’s leadership turmoil that ended with the ousting of Malcolm Turnbull from the top job in 2018.
“He’s been messy, he’s been really messy and for people on the outside looking in they just wonder what the hell is going on,” Mr McCormack said.
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Liberal MP Dan Tehan, who has been working to fix an outcome, said the parties needed to work collectively and pool resources to hold the government to account, given their diminished ranks.
“You need an effective opposition,” he said.
Nationals MP Darren Chester acknowledged the frustration in party politics taking centre stage as several regional communities experienced devastating flooding and loss of life.
At a press conference at Parliament House on Thursday, Littleproud said both leaders had agreed to hold off announcing their shadow cabinets and portfolio allocations in the hopes of a reunion.
Nationals deputy 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 said.
There’s confidence an agreement can be reached out of sheer need, given the demolition of the Liberal Party in Labor’s landslide election win.
The Nationals pulled out of the decades-long coalition arrangement after Littleproud said he failed to get Ley to recommit to key policies they took to the election.
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.
Members on both sides of the aisle have questioned why an agreement needed to be rushed only weeks after an overwhelming election loss.
