Coalition Fractures as Nationals Leader Declares Partnership Unworkable Under Ley
Nationals leader David Littleproud has delivered a stunning declaration that there is no future for the Coalition while Sussan Ley remains at the helm of the Liberal Party. This dramatic pronouncement follows a week of political chaos that has exposed deep fissures between the two long-standing conservative partners.
Senators' Resignation Sparks Unprecedented Split
The rupture stems directly from a contentious vote on a Liberal-backed freedom of speech bill in the Senate. Three National Party senators resigned their positions after voting against the legislation, a move that triggered the complete collapse of the Coalition agreement. In a tense television appearance, Littleproud firmly shut down questioning about why the split occurred, stating simply, "it didn't" have to happen this way.
Littleproud asserted that the Coalition effectively ended when Ley accepted the resignations of the three Nationals senators, despite clear warnings that doing so would prompt the resignation of the entire Nationals ministry. The Nationals leader insisted his party had every right to oppose the legislation, arguing that normal Coalition processes were completely bypassed.
"We had a bill, ironically, on freedom of speech that we couldn't support," Littleproud explained. "Because we believed it would impinge on the rights of Australians to be able to speak freely."
Breakdown of Coalition Processes
Littleproud detailed how scheduled joint party room meetings were cancelled by Ley, preventing the normal process where shadow cabinet and both party rooms would agree on a final position. "There wasn't a normal Coalition process, whereby a shadow cabinet agreed on the final room, where a joint party room was brought together," he stated. "There was a joint party room scheduled and then cancelled by Sussan Ley."
The Nationals leader revealed his party held ten separate party room meetings on the issue and made it unequivocally clear that if the three senators were not reinstated, the Coalition could not continue. "As late as yesterday, she wasn't prepared to do that," Littleproud said of Ley's position. "So the direction of our party room is that if she was prepared to accept those three, then she has effectively disbanded the Coalition."
Time Apart Needed for Reflection
While Ley maintained that the door remained open to reforming the Coalition, Littleproud presented a starkly different perspective. He suggested the Nationals would not rush back into any agreement and that the Liberals needed significant time for reflection. "I think it's healthy for a bit of time apart for them to work out who they are," he remarked pointedly.
Littleproud emphasized that the Nationals had exhausted every possible option to avoid the split. "We did everything we could to keep this Coalition together," he asserted. "Our party room was committed to the Coalition, but we were let down at the end."
Transparency and Respect Versus Subservience
The Nationals leader detailed how his party had shown considerable restraint earlier in the process out of respect for Ley. When the freedom of speech bill initially went through, Ley asked the National Party front bench not to vote against it in the House of Representatives, allowing time for their amendments to be considered in the Senate. "We gave her that respect," Littleproud noted. "Many wanted to vote against it, but we gave that up out of respect to her."
He posed a fundamental question about the nature of the partnership: "Are we to go down there and just be subservient? Our job is to do what we believe is our values and our principles. We were transparent and upfront all the way through." Littleproud expressed pride in his party room's decisions, stating firmly, "My party room made these determinations with me, and I'm proud of my party room."
In his final assessment, Littleproud was unequivocal: "We didn't want to get to this, but when those three resignations were accepted, Sussan Ley ended the Coalition."
Rejecting Personal Attacks and Looking Forward
Littleproud also dismissed reports of a heated phone call with Ley in which he allegedly demanded her resignation during what colleagues described as an "unhinged" verbal clash. "If she's grasping at desperate personal attacks now, well, good luck," he responded dismissively.
The Nationals leader expressed confidence in his party's position, stating, "The reality is we can be very honest with the Australian people, and I can sleep tonight, and did last night, very well knowing that we did everything we could to keep this Coalition together." He added, "And we are going to get on with the job of serving the people that sent us there."
While Littleproud maintained that his door remained open to working with Ley in the future, he conceded the Nationals "can't see a pathway" back to the Coalition at this stage. The dramatic split represents one of the most significant fractures in Australian conservative politics in recent memory, with profound implications for the opposition's unity and effectiveness moving forward.
