Sussan Ley and David Littleproud end 17-day split after negotiations
Updated ,first published
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and National Party leader David Littleproud have reunited the Coalition after a 17-day split following public disagreements over the principles of cabinet solidarity and their mass resignation from the front bench, with the National Party insisting they relied on each other to keep the opposition together.
The reunion comes after protracted talks between the leaders culminated over the weekend, with Littleproud and Ley making concessions over the length of time the Nationals’ former shadow ministers would remain in the backbenchers.
“David and I have had our differences and we have in our party rooms, we have resolved those differences, strengthened our processes and are moving forward as a united Coalition to continue the fight against Labor on behalf of the millions of Australians who support us,” Ley told a news conference at Parliament House in Canberra on Sunday.
“It has been a difficult time for millions of our Coalition supporters and many other Australians who rely on our two major parties to provide scrutiny and national leadership, but the Coalition is back together and looking to the future, not the past. We are squarely focused on representing the Australian people and fighting for their needs, aspirations and hopes,” Ley said.
The National Party left the Coalition on January 22 – for the second time in nine months – after three leading members of the National Party breached convention to vote against the Liberals on hate crime legislation addressing antisemitism in the wake of the Bondi attack.
Negotiations appeared to stall after leaders failed to agree on Ley’s demand that the three rebels be removed from the front row if the Coalition was reunified; Littleproud was against the proposal because the Nationals maintained the trio had done nothing wrong.
On Friday morning, Littleproud offered a compromise by proposing that the three front-row players, along with all national players, receive a six-week collective suspension before rejoining the front-row in March. Ley’s allies and Liberal moderates opposed the request, but Ley faced pressure from right-wing leaders Angus Taylor and James Paterson, among others who wanted to accept the deal.
Addressing the media alongside Ley, Littleproud directly blamed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for the split, saying Labor had rushed legislation to combat antisemitism and that the split was not about domestic policy; But he has repeatedly said that not all parties have had the time to consider this position.
“This wasn’t about personalities. This was about principles where we were trying to get a position on short notice, failing to provide a proper process. And I think that says to the Australian people, ‘You are a coalition that cares’,” Littleproud said.
“We understand it wasn’t perfect. It looked ugly, but we had the courage to come back and say, ‘We’re going to make sure this never happens again.’ That’s leadership. That’s courage. And I stand with my party room today for what they’ve done throughout this reunification,” Littleproud said.
Littleproud acknowledged that negotiations with Ley over reunification were “succinct” at times, but believed this was a sign of maturity between the leaders.
He did not deny reports that he shouted 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 retracted in recent media appearances.
Littleproud, who has left the Coalition twice since the May election, said he would not seek to split the opposition again and that January’s split was due to an “extreme situation” not seen for more than a century.
Under the renewed Coalition agreement, citizens will be barred from shadow ministerial duties for a total period of six weeks, and all shadow ministers will return to their previous duties as of March 1.
In the interim, Littleproud and his deputy Kevin Hogan will attend meetings of the leadership group, shadow cabinet and economic review committee.
All shadow ministers will sign an agreement to abide by shadow cabinet solidarity and that no party will be able to overturn the decisions of the shadow cabinet, enshrining the primacy of the joint Coalition party chamber over individual party positions. A shadow cabinet “decision list” will also be implemented.
Ley had been under pressure on Friday and Saturday, with widespread speculation within the party that Taylor would resign from the frontbench next week if Ley solidified the split and announced on Sunday that only the Liberals would be in the frontbench.
Asked whether the reunion would damage Ley’s support from moderate supporters in the party room, the Liberal leader said: “The overwhelming majority of my party room know that the Coalition is stronger together, and I know that sentiment is shared in the National party room.”
“I am extremely confident of the overwhelming support of my caucus. They elected me to lead nine months ago. I said then that I was ready for the job. I am ready for the job now,” Ley said.
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Nick Newling is the federal politics correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via email.
Paul Sakkal is the chief political correspondent. It has previously covered Victorian politics and won the Walkley and Quill awards. Reach him securely on Signal @paulsakkal.14Connect with: X or email.
