Sussan Ley may fast-track permanent Liberal-only frontbench as Coalition reunion hopes fade
Sussan Ley could bring forward the announcement of a permanent Liberal-only frontbench that cements the Coalition split, as hopes of a reunion with the Nationals fade.The opposition leader and the Nationals leader, David Littleproud, held another round of peace talks before question time on Wednesday, but neither party was prepared to budge on their core demands.Guardian Australia has confirmed Ley is ready to move on from the Nationals if the country party continues to insist that the three senators who crossed the floor on Labor’s hate speech should not face punishment.The opposition leader was prepared to give the Nationals until next Monday to reunite before she pushed ahead with an all-Liberal shadow ministry, entrenching the split between the coalition partners for the foreseeable future.But senior Liberals are preparing for Ley to fast-track the announcement – which would include promoting six MPs to shadow cabinet and two more into the outer shadow ministry – as talks to reform the Coalition remain deadlocked.Sources have said the mass promotions are an attractive option to Ley to help bolster her internal support as conservative rival Angus Taylor weighs up a leadership challenge as soon as next week.The opposition leader dismissed talk of an imminent spill as “ridiculous” media speculation.The Nationals want the three senate frontbenchers who crossed the floor on Labor’s hate speech laws to be reinstated, while Ley insists they must serve a six-month suspension on the backbench.The suspensions, which were part of a wider peace deal offered to the Nationals, were a non-negotiable for Ley, as was a recommitment to the principle of shadow cabinet solidarity.Sign up: AU Breaking News emailThe Nationals were hostile to Ley’s proposal when presented with it on Tuesday. Guardian Australia understands its position has not changed after another partyroom meeting on Wednesday.Ley and Littleproud met before question time on Wednesday and discussed the Nationals’ response to the Liberals’ offer.The Nationals’ response did not directly deal with the punishments for the three senators, according to a source familiar with the negotiations.If the Nationals refuse to urgently address the key sticking point, the Liberals are prepared to go it alone, the source said.Speaking earlier in the day, the Nationals leader refused to detail the party’s counter-offer to the Liberals.However, the former Nationals leader Michael McCormack – who strongly supports reuniting the Coalition – described the party’s response to Ley’s offer as “considered” and “diplomatic”.“I think everyone needs to be sensible about this. We do need cool and wise heads to prevail. We can’t just keep on going like we are at the moment,” he told Sky News.The two parties sat apart again in parliament on Wednesday as the split was further cemented.The Liberals are pushing to claim 12 committee positions held by the Nationals on the grounds they are owed to them as the formal opposition party.“This is an unprecedented attempt from the Liberal party to purge their former Coalition partner from all senate committees,” the manager of government business in the senate, Katy Gallagher, said.Guardian Australia has spoken with six Liberal MPs, including shadow ministers, who believe there is little prospect of the Coalition reuniting before Ley’s original 9 February deadline.“I think it is near certain that there will be no reformation,” one MP said.Multiple sources believed Ley would be comfortable if the two parties remained apart, in part because her power base of moderate Liberal supporters were in no rush to reconcile with the Nationals after the second split in eight months.“The shattering of the Coalition lies uncomfortably at the feet of the Nationals and their leader whose judgment has been found wanting,” said one MP, who is not a moderate.“The only thing most Liberals are able to agree on at present is that we cannot return to Coalition in the short or medium term. Things could change if the Nationals put Australia first and install a new leader.“The Liberal party can no longer subordinate itself to a National party agenda. Our collapsing vote in the cities can be tied to us adopting their way of thinking which is stuck in the 1950s.”With attention set to turn to the formation of an all-Liberal frontbench, the shadow immigration minister, Paul Scarr, the shadow cabinet secretary, Zoe McKenzie, and the opposition chief whip, Aaron Violi, have all been mentioned as candidates for promotion.Ley also faces a call on what to do with a raft of senior Liberals currently on the backbench, including one-time leadership contender Andrew Hastie, Jane Hume, Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and Sarah Henderson.Liberal MPs are not ruling out the possibility of a leadership challenge against Ley next week but Senate estimates is considered a major complicating factor.Senators do not usually attend party room meetings during estimates weeks, which is a requirement in order to vote in a leadership spill.That means senators would have to leave estimates hearings to attend the vote, a scenario that MPs concede would be embarrassing given it is the main forum to scrutinise government spending.A challenge is considered more likely in March, when three sitting weeks are scheduled.
