Coalition council of elders mooted amid 11th-hour talks
Former prime minister John Howard has been discussed in conservative circles as a potential mediator of the Liberal-National divide; This separation may become more permanent if a compromise is not reached soon.
Former coalition MPs hope a team of elders from both parties can help break the impasse and prevent a permanent divorce.
Mr Howard, fellow former prime minister Tony Abbott and former national leader John Anderson are among those who have emerged.
Liberal leader Melissa McIntosh, who worked for Mr Howard during his premiership, said she would be happy to step in.
“There is no better person than Mr. Howard to bring the broader church back together, to bring the congregation back together,” he told reporters in Canberra on Monday morning.
Ms McIntosh said the former prime minister would help parties shift focus after weeks of ugly political wrangling.
Ms Ley expected to receive a counteroffer from the regional party on Friday morning.
If no agreement is reached by Monday, the opposition leader has said he will appoint Liberals to front-line posts.
The split was triggered by a disagreement between the two allies over hate crimes laws; In this dispute, three National senators offered to leave the front bench to vote against their Liberal colleagues.
When the trio’s resignations were accepted, the remaining front row of the Nationals went on mass strike.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley wants three senators removed from the front bench for breaking shadow cabinet solidarity; This is a move that the National Party seems reluctant to accept.
But he is expected to announce his new shadow ministry before then – possibly on Sunday – if negotiations with the National Party sour, a move that will strengthen the coalition’s division and deepen hostilities between the two former partners.
Some Liberals and Nationals believe their parties can go it alone, but others believe the parties will only succeed if they reestablish coalition partnerships.
Liberal senator Jane Hume said her party would always be stronger with the National Party but should not compromise on its own values.
“We need to start setting our policy agenda based on our own party’s values and our own priorities,” he told reporters in Canberra.
Senator Hume said, “Nationals are better when they are Nationals. Liberals are better when they are Liberals. But we are stronger when we are together.”
But Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie argued her colleagues could succeed without their long-term allies.
“The National Party was the party of government in Canberra for over a century, long before the Liberal party came on the scene,” he told reporters at Parliament House.
“We’ve done it before, we can do it again,” said Senator McKenzie.
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