Liberal leader Sussan Ley and Nationals leader David Littleproud have struck a deal to put the federal coalition back together.
Following their second split in less than a year, Ley had set a deadline of today to reach an agreement for reformation or she threatened to announced a permanent shadow cabinet to move forward alone with the Liberals longtime political partner.
The most recent break up came after three Nationals MPs broke cabinet ranks and voted against the government’s hate-speech laws that were produced in the wake of the Bondi massacre. In a joint statement the two leaders said they were putting the past behind them and looking for the future.
“We acknowledge this has been a difficult period for millions of Coalition supporters, and many other Australians, who rely on our parties to scrutinise the government and provide national leadership,” the two leaders said.
The deal will see Nationals members reinstated to the Shadow Cabinet, after serving a two week period on the backbench as punishment for their break of cabinet solidarity. Ley had been pushing for the three former shadow-ministers to serve a six month penance.
Moving forward frontbenchers will also sign an agreement so it is clearly understood that serving in the shadows cabinet overrides and party differences on policy positions, and resignations will be expected for those who do not maintain cabinet solidarity.
Senior Liberal figures including forming Prime Minister John Howard, had been publicly urging Ley to put the coalition back together noting that neither party has any chance of forming a future government on their own.
The split came at a time when polls are showing both parties have plummeting levels of support hemorrhaging votes to Pauline Hanson’s One Nation. During the week right-wing political commentators had been suggesting a way forward would be for all three parties to form a block ahead of the next election.
