An unsuccessful challenger to the Nationals leadership has urged the party to reunite with the Liberals.
David Littleproud will remain in charge of the Nationals after Queensland backbencher Colin Boyce’s attempt to dethrone him failed at the first hurdle.
Boyce’s motion failed to gain the support from other Nationals MPs needed for a formal vote on who should become the party’s leader.
The Queensland MP said the party needed to come back to the Liberals to reform the coalition.
“It is critical that the coalition is restored, something I have advocated for from the beginning,” Boyce said Monday.
“We must stand up for ordinary Australians against an incompetent Labor government whose spending has spiraled out of control.
“As always, I am committed to the people of Flynn and will continue to advocate for their future and for the core values of the National Party.”
Littleproud met with opposition leader Sussan Ley on Monday evening for negotiations over a possible resumption of the coalition.
Both leaders had a “constructive discussion in good faith” and agreed to continue those talks, a Liberal Party source said at the meeting.
Negotiations between the two leaders had previously been suspended as a potential leadership leakage loomed.
Nationals whip Michelle Landry said the party would try to come together after the attempted leak.
“We are all working together,” she told reporters.
“And our aim is to work sensibly with our colleagues and continue to do good opposition to the Labor Party.”
Almost two weeks of infighting
A second Nationals party room meeting in as many days will take place on Tuesday, before the resumption of parliament.
It follows almost two weeks of infighting between the former coalition parties, sparked by a divided vote on Labour’s controversial hate speech laws.
Darren Chester would also use the party meeting to table a motion to restore the coalition, saying that “the things that unite us are greater than the things that divide us”.
“Every moment we spend talking about ourselves is a license for a weak and divisive Prime Minister who has failed to deliver on his promises to cut energy bills and govern for all Australians,” he said in a post on Facebook.
“Australia deserves a better government that has policies to unite the country and programs aimed at bridging the service gap between urban and rural residents.”
The nationals did previously given a deadline to return to the coalition tent at Ley.
If no deal was reached by February 9, the Liberals planned to expand their shadow cabinet and have the Liberal members formally take over the Nationals’ roles on the frontbench.
Senator Matt Canavan said Littleproud had the authority to resume talks with Ley, adding that the coalition should not have split.
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