Ley says Littleproud's decision to split Coalition is 'disappointing'
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More news: Liberal leader Sussan Ley has hit out at Nationals leader David Littleproud's "disappointing" decision to split from her party, saying Coalition agreements should be focused on the makeup of the frontbench and not specific policies.
A joint statement by Ley, deputy leader Ted O'Brien and Senate leaders Michaelia Cash and Anne Ruston said they had enormous respect for Littleproud but were disappointed by the decision.
The party leaders particularly hit out at the Nationals' attempt to insert policy positions into a new Coalition agreement, which they said was at odds with convention.
The statement also reveals that the Nationals sought to have a free vote for their frontbenchers on contentious policies, which was not agreed to by the Liberals.
They also confirmed that the Liberal Party’s review of election policies was not an indication that any one of them would be abandoned, nor that every single one would be adopted — which was explained to the Nationals.
What they said: "Whilst we have enormous respect for David Littleproud and his team, it is disappointing that the National Party has taken the decision to leave the Coalition today," they said.
"As Liberals, we respect their decision and commit to continue working collaboratively with them. The Liberal Party’s door remains open to The Nationals’ should they wish to rejoin the Coalition before the next election.
"The Coalition Agreement has conventionally been focused on the makeup of our executive anchored in our principled commitment to our shared values.
"The Nationals' sought commitments on specific policies. As was explained to The Nationals, the Liberal Party’s review of election policies was not an indication that any one of them would be abandoned, nor that every single one would be adopted.
"We offered to work constructively with The Nationals, respecting the party’s deeply held views on these issues. We asked The National Party to work constructively with us, respecting our internal processes.
"In good faith, the Liberals proposed appointing a joint Coalition Shadow Ministry now, with separate policy development in each party room and subsequent joint policy positions determined in the usual way.
"Unfortunately, The Nationals determined this was not possible.
"The Liberal Party also insisted that Shadow Cabinet solidarity be maintained in any Coalition Agreement. This was not explicitly agreed to by The Nationals."
Littleproud coy on state-built nuclear reactors
More news: Nationals leader David Littleproud has stopped short of backing the Coalition’s election commitment for government-built nuclear reactors.
While the Nationals have repeatedly stressed nuclear energy should be part of Australia's energy mix, Littleproud was repeatedly asked whether the Nationals would simply support lifting a national moratorium on nuclear energy — allowing the market to decide on its future.
“We have been pragmatic. Nuclear must be part of the mix … We want to see it as part of a technology agnostic approach to reducing our emissions,” he said.
Maintaining any form of nuclear commitment would be contentious within the Liberal party room, where some moderates believe they were politically hamstrung by the Coalition’s policy.
However, some moderate Liberals have told Capital Brief they support lifting the moratorium.
What they said: “That is a brave assessment to say [Australians] voted against nuclear energy. I think they got a very good scare campaign,” Littleproud said.
Littleproud says Coalition deal with Liberals could still be reached 'at some juncture'
More news: Nationals leader David Littleproud insists he is “passionate in the belief” the Coalition can eventually be revived after today's split, saying it was driven by disagreements over policy, not frontbench spots.
But the Nationals leader flagged the party would not budge over its demands for divestiture powers, support for nuclear energy and the regional Australia Future Fund.
“I have been allowed to get my party room to the principled position [I have revealed]. She should be allowed to have that as well,” he said.
Littleproud said he was confident Ley could work through disagreements within her own party, saying it would not be “constructive for me to get into the middle of that and dictate terms”.
He said it was "conceivable" that Ley could win the next election if given the space to work through internal divisions.
The pair will continue to meet regularly to see if a deal could be reached “at some juncture”, he added.
What they said: “I'm passionate in the belief that we can bring this back together,” Littleproud said.
“There's no animosity, there's no angst, there's no hate. It's one predicated on respect and understanding.”
Coalition splits after Sussan Ley and David Littleproud fail to reach agreement
The news: The Liberals and Nationals have failed to secure an agreement to maintain the Coalition, prompting the first split in decades.
The context: Liberal leader Sussan Ley and her Nationals counterpart David Littleproud met to discuss a potential deal this morning, after the Coalition’s devastating defeat at this month’s federal election.
Speaking to reporters afterwards, Littleproud confirmed the pair had failed to reach a deal after disagreements over divestiture power and nuclear energy.
But Littleproud stressed his party remained open to revisiting the matter once the Liberals "rediscover who they are and what they want to be".
“[I] made it very clear that we remain committed to having the door open, respecting the position that Sussan has been put in,” he said.
“She is a leader that needs to rebuild the Liberal Party. They are going on a journey of rediscovery, and this will provide them the opportunity to do that without the spectre of the National Party imposing their will, but setting clear boundaries and parameters, about what's important to us.”
Littleproud said his party would push for a $20 billion regional Australia Future Fund and for Commonwealth divestiture powers to go after supermarkets, a policy it unveiled before the election.
He said that the Nationals had negotiated “at the pace of Sussan Ley” after the loss of her mother last week.
Deputy Nationals leader Kevin Hogan compared the decision to a relationship break-up, saying “more often than not, you get back together and join back together with clearer clarity and focus on what the relationship was about”.
The development raises the prospect of the parties taking separate policy platforms to the next election. The Coalition split in 1972 but ultimately went to the 1974 federal election together.
The future of the Coalition’s climate policy has been particularly vexed, as some Nationals push for Australia’s net zero target to be abandoned and to maintain its nuclear energy policy.
Nuclear energy has been criticised by some Liberal moderates, who believe it was a factor in the party’s losses in urban areas.
The Nationals have also been angered by the defection of Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price to the Liberals. Price initially declared she would run as Angus Taylor’s deputy in last week’s leadership ballot, but opted not to when he was defeated by Sussan Ley.
Senior Nationals have also demanded a greater role in the Coalition after the party performed more strongly than the Liberals, securing 15 lower house seats – including six from the Queensland-based Liberal National Party.
Last week, Littleproud saw off a leadership challenge from backbencher Matt Canavan, who urged the party to abandon net zero.
What they said: “At this juncture, we're making a principled position about not what we're prepared to give up on, but to build on what we've achieved,” Littleproud said.
The source: Nationals press conference
