‘It looked ugly’: Coalition reunited after 17-day split

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and Nationals leader David Littleproud have reunited the Coalition after a 17-day split following public disagreements over the principles of cabinet solidarity and a mass resignation of the Nationals from the frontbench, insisting they trusted each other to hold the opposition together.

The reunion comes after protracted negotiations between the leaders yielded results over the weekend, when Littleproud and Ley made concessions over the length of time the Nationals’ former shadow ministers would remain on the backbench.

“We did have differences, David and I, and our party rooms. We’ve resolved those differences, we’ve strengthened our processes and we’re going forward as a united Coalition to take the fight up to Labor on behalf of millions of Australians who are cheering us on,” Ley told a press conference at Parliament House on Sunday.

“It’s been a difficult time for millions of our Coalition supporters and many other Australians who rely on our two great parties to provide scrutiny and national leadership, but the Coalition is back together and looking to the future, not the past.

“We’re squarely focused on representing the Australian people and fighting for their needs, their aspirations and their hopes.”

The Nationals left the Coalition on January 22 – for the second time in nine months – after three Nationals frontbenchers breached convention to vote against the Liberals on hate crime legislation addressing antisemitism after the Bondi shooting.

Negotiations appeared to be stalling after the leaders could not agree on a demand from Ley that the three rebels would be suspended from the frontbench for six months should the Coalition reunite, a proposal Littleproud was against because the Nationals argued the trio did nothing wrong.

On Friday morning, Littleproud offered a concession, suggesting the three frontbenchers, along with all Nationals, serve a collective six-week suspension before re-entering the frontbench in March. Ley’s allies and Liberal moderates baulked at the request, but Ley faced pressure from right faction leaders Angus Taylor and James Paterson, among others, who wanted to take the deal.

Addressing the media alongside Ley, Littleproud blamed the split on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, saying Labor rushed antisemitism response legislation and that the split was not about internal politics – although he repeatedly said not all parties got the time needed to consider the position.

“This wasn’t about personalities. This was about principles that we tried to get to a position on in a short period of time, that we weren’t afforded a proper process. And I think that says to the Australian people you’re a coalition that cares,” Littleproud said.

“We understand that it wasn’t perfect. It looked ugly, but we’ve had the courage to come back and say we’re going to make sure it never happens again. That’s leadership. That’s courage. And I stand with my party room with what they’ve done all the way through this reunification today.”

Littleproud conceded that negotiations with Ley over the reunion were at times “terse”, but he believed that was a sign of maturity between the leaders.

He did not deny reports he had yelled at Ley to resign during a phone call.

When the Coalition split in January, Littleproud said the Nationals could not serve in a shadow ministry led by Ley, a statement he has repeatedly walked back in recent media appearances.

After breaking away from the Coalition twice since the May election, Littleproud said he would not seek to split the opposition again and January’s split was because of “an extreme circumstance” not seen in more than a century.

Under the renewed Coalition agreement, Nationals will remain barred from shadow ministerial portfolios for a cumulative six-week period. All shadow ministers will return to their previously held roles on March 1.

During the interim period, Littleproud and his deputy, Kevin Hogan, will attend meetings of the leadership group, shadow cabinet and the economic review committee.

All shadow ministers will sign an agreement to abide by shadow cabinet solidarity, with neither party able to overturn decisions of the shadow cabinet, enshrining the primacy of the joint Coalition party room over individual party positions. A shadow cabinet “decisions register” will also be introduced.

Ley has been under pressure within the Liberal Party. Speculation was rife on Friday and Saturday that Taylor would resign from the frontbench to create a leadership spill should Ley cement the split and announce a Liberal-only frontbench on Sunday, which she had been tipped to do.

Asked whether the reunion would hurt Ley’s support from moderate supporters within the party room, the Liberal leader said: “The overwhelming majority of my party room knows that the Coalition is stronger together, and I know that that feeling is shared in the Nationals party room.”

“I am very confident of the overwhelming support of my party room. They elected me nine months ago to lead. I said then I was up for the job. I’m up for the job now,” Ley said.

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