Coalition splits: David Littleproud says Nationals walking away from Liberals after mass resignations

Nationals Leader David Littleproud says the Party will break away from the Liberals for the second time since the election, blaming Opposition Leader Sussan Ley for “forcing the Coalition into an untenable position that can no longer continue”.

Mr Littleproud says he informed Ms Ley this morning that the Nationals were leaving the Coalition, a day after all of the party’s frontbenchers quit the shadow ministry over the opposition’s handling of hate laws in response to the Bondi attack.

“It’s done. I spoke to Sussan Ley about half an hour ago and made her fully aware,” Mr Littleproud told reporters on Thursday.

During their phone call, Ms Ley urged the Nationals Leader to pause all public comments for 24 hours, given the National Day of Mourning being held on Thursday for the 15 victims killed at Bondi Beach.

The Nationals leader says he gave the Opposition Leader a chance to stop the move by reinstating the trio of senators who were dumped from the frontbench after they crossed the floor on Tuesday to vote against the Government’s legislation.

“I rang her about 30 minutes ago and told her that the party room’s decision was final. That, unless those three were reinstated immediately, then she forced the Coalition into an untenable position,” he said.

The Nationals Leader said it would be too late now for Ms Ley to reinstate the dumped shadow ministers, but he has not ruled out rejoining the Coalition in the future.

“I cannot stand by and have three courageous senators who put their jobs on the line for no reason that has any veracity whatsoever, to be disrespected and our party, and our party’s process and our decisions”.

“That is the beauty of the democracy that we live in, that we should have the right to go there and have a difference of opinion.

“We accept there are processes within the Coalition that we need to adhere to at times. But there was never a trigger moment for that.

“If these three senators could not be accepted, then our Coalition has become untenable.”

In a statement Ms Ley said today’s focus “must be on Jewish Australians, indeed all Australians, as we mourn the victims of the Bondi terrorist attack”.

“This is a National Day of Mourning and my responsibility as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Liberal Party is to Australians in mourning,” she added.

More to come...