Coalition dissolved: Nationals, Liberals to sit alone

THE National Party will go it alone on the federal Parliamentary benches in the next term of government, announcing today (Tuesday, May 20) they would not re-enter a Coalition agreement with the Liberal Party.

Speaking in Canberra, Nationals leader David Littleproud said he could not reach an agreement with Liberal leader Sussan Ley after the Coalition’s huge election defeat and his party “will sit alone on a principled basis”.

“It’s on a principled position of making sure that those hard-fought wins are maintained and respected and we continue to look forward.

“What we are saying is that what we secured in the former coalition are policies that should remain.

“We don’t want to have to look back and… reprosecute the case.”

The Nationals spearheaded the Coalition’s nuclear energy policy to build seven reactors across Australia, and Mr Littleproud secured a multi-billion regional fund that would disperse $1 billion year.

Moderate Liberals in inner city seats have called for the nuclear energy policy to be dumped and a stronger climate policy to be taken to the next election.

Ms Ley faces the task of rebuilding the Liberals after a wipeout at the May 3 election.

Mr Littleproud said the door remained open for a future agreement.

“She is a leader who needs to rebuild the Liberal Party,” he said.

“They are going on a journey of rediscovery, and this will provide them the opportunity to do that without the spectre of the National Party imposing their will, but setting clear boundaries and parameters about what’s important to us.”

Mr Littleproud said he needed to leave a legacy “for the 30 per cent of Australians that live outside a capital city. I don’t intend to take a step back when I take big steps forward in three years”.

“I think that we can and will work together when the Liberals decide what they want to be and much of the capital cities that they want to be able to be prosecuting their case in.

“My job not to be a drag on their vote and I’ve got to say, I never saw a billboard. I never saw a piece of material from the Labor Party attacking me, or the National Party at the last election.”

 – WITH AAP