In Breaking News, The Nationals have announced their split from the Liberal Party, the first time the Coalition has split since 1987.
The re-elected leader of the Nationals David Litteproud announced the move today in a press conference after multiple days of negotiation with the Liberals and their new leader Sussan Ley.
Mr Littleproud stated “So, it’s with great disappointment that I announce that we’re not going to form part of that Coalition.”
The move is speculated to have come after the Coalition’s unprecedented defeat in the Federal election earlier this month in which the LNP won 43 seats, or 15 less than its 2022 result.
The Nationals actually saw an increase in voter preference resulting in an increase in the lower house of representatives from 10 seats to 15 seats this year.
Alongside the Liberals losing seats and therefore the Nationals losing overall power as a Coalition, the minor party cited key policies such as nuclear power and Regional Australia Future Fund as sticking points that lead to the split as new Liberal leader Sussan Ley presented a reevaluation of policy with her election.
Moving forward, National MPs must forfeit any titles they hold and access to the opposition cabinet as both parties take time before the next election to reevaluate policy.
In his statement, Mr Littleproud did suggest the possibility of reentering into a Coalition before the next election ensuring to ‘keep the lines open’ between the Nationals and the Liberals. However, when questioned if no agreement on policy can be made between the two parties, the leader confirmed the party running alone in the next federal election.
Sussan Ley has made a brief statement expressing her disappointment in the decision. The Liberal Leader confirmed that a proposal to appoint a joint Coalition Shadow Ministry that would allow for separate policy development was rejected by the Nationals.
Ms Ley stated “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”.
Sophie Janusko 