The Liberal and National parties have formally reunited as the Coalition following last-minute negotiations between leaders Sussan Ley and David Littleproud. The agreement ends a three-week split triggered when three National senators broke shadow cabinet rules to vote against the government's hate speech laws, leading to their dismissal from the front bench.
Under the deal, the three senators will be reinstated to their previous shadow cabinet roles on March 1. The Coalition will operate under a new framework that prevents either party from overriding a shadow cabinet decision, with the solidarity of shadow cabinet only able to be overturned by the joint Coalition party room. This arrangement will be codified in writing to enhance trust.
Both leaders blamed the government's rushed timeline for introducing the hate speech bill following the Bondi terror attack for the breakdown. Mr. Littleproud noted that the bill was provided to legislators at 6:13 a.m. on a Tuesday with a vote expected by lunchtime, calling it an unreasonable process. He denied previously stating the Coalition could not reunite while Ms. Ley led the Liberals, saying reunification was always conditional on the return of the dumped senators.
Ms. Ley acknowledged the difficulty of the period for Coalition supporters and Australians who rely on the parties for scrutiny and leadership. She stated, "It looked ugly, but we've had the courage to come back and say we're going to make sure it never happens again." Liberal sources indicated Ms. Ley consulted every Liberal party room member before deciding a compromise was preferable to a permanent split.
The leaders concluded their joint press conference with smiles, with Ms. Ley declaring, "We're going back to work for the Australian people!"
