Nationals leader David Littleproud has confirmed his party will not re-enter a formal Coalition agreement with the Liberal Party, citing key policy disagreements and a desire to chart their own course ahead of the next federal election.
Following what he described as a “mature” and “respectful” discussion with Liberal leader Sussan Ley, Littleproud said the decision had unanimous backing from the Nationals party room.
“We come here not wanting to have to scrap over every last crumb to make sure that we get what we deserve,” he said. “The collective wisdom of everyone in that room today… I think our democracy is healthier for it.”
Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie revealed that the split followed the Liberals’ rejection of a “reasonable request” on a package of policies including divestiture powers to tackle supermarket monopolies, a nuclear energy policy, and a new Regional Australia Future Fund.
“A reasonable request was put to a trusted partner and it was refused,” McKenzie said. “These were policies we fought an election on just weeks ago.”
Despite the breakdown, Littleproud said the door remained open to rekindling the Coalition before the next election.
“I gave her [Ley] the commitment that I’ll work with her every day to help rebuild the relationship to the point we can re-enter a Coalition,” he said. “But at this juncture, we’re making a principled position… to build on what we achieved and to move forward.”
Ley, who is leading a review and rebuild of the Liberal Party following recent electoral losses, has vowed to focus on core Liberal values such as lower taxes, education reform, and strengthening Australia’s military alliances. In an opinion piece published in The Australian, she likened the task to the comprehensive Valder Review after the Fraser government’s defeat in 1983.
Divides over climate and energy policy—particularly nuclear energy and the Coalition’s net-zero by 2050 target—have also strained negotiations. Some Nationals are pushing the Liberals to commit to nuclear energy as a condition of any future agreement.
Littleproud reiterated his party’s support for net zero, but added that achieving it would likely require nuclear energy.
“You can’t get to net zero without nuclear,” he told Channel Seven’s Sunrise. “Whether it’s government-owned reactors or simply removing the moratorium… you have to be pragmatic.”
Liberal senator Jane Hume expressed concern that ditching net zero would conflict with voter expectations.
“The electorate has sent us a very clear message about what they want in their government,” she told Sky News. “Abandoning net zero, I don’t necessarily think is consistent with that.”
Labor’s Assistant Minister Andrew Leigh urged Ley and the Coalition to offer bipartisan certainty on climate policy to attract clean energy investment and ensure the “climate wars” remain in the past.
Ley’s negotiations have been delayed in part due to the death of her mother, Angela Braybrooks, on Saturday.
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