As you may have read, our Coalition had a week-long break up and has reunified. The party should be congratulated for rejecting some contentious policies as it conducts a postmortem of its election drubbing. The decision follows the increasing tensions between the Liberal and National parties in regards to their direction moving forward.
For instance, the review is rushed and doggedly excludes several critical policies. These exclusions include nuclear energy, a suggested Regional Australia Future Fund, break-up powers for the grocery industry, and an agenda to expand mobile signals in regional communities. This agreement marks a significant step toward unity as the Coalition seeks to address internal disagreements and refocus on shared objectives.
Sussan Ley, who now acts as the Coalition’s Opposition Leader in the House of Representatives, made clear the need to work together within the Coalition. David Littleproud, leader of the Nationals, gave his displeasure in the debate last week. He maintained that his party would not retreat on its four major policy asks. His opposition to the deal further exposes the friction in the Coalition, with Littleproud standing by his pride in defending Nationals values.
Nonetheless, Littleproud went out of his way to send Ley a sharp message. As a reminder, he said, his party had already voted to leave coalition negotiations if their demands were not acceded to. He made the case that the Nationals should be free to break cabinet solidarity when required. He maintained that they should enjoy the right to speak out against policies with which they disagree. Ley did not back down on this request, insisting that a united front was crucial to any more productive future.
The recent split and the unresolved nature of the ongoing negotiations speaks to the Coalition’s difficulties. It finds it hard to hold the coalition’s lines while weathering these challenges. Despite differing perspectives on policy priorities, both parties recognize the necessity of collaboration to regain voter confidence and work towards common goals.
