Ex-PM slams Coalition split
Former Liberal prime minister John Howard has criticised the break up of the Coalition, labelling it a “stupid move”, and has put his support behind sticking with nuclear power.
Nationals leader David Littleproud on Tuesday announced that his party was sensationally walking away from the coalition agreement with the Liberals, because of “principle and policy”.
Howard said the two conservative parties were strongest when they worked together, and they should try and resolve their policy differences.
Howard was prime minister for 11 years from 1996 to 2007 and had a Coalition with the Nationals, led by Tim Fischer, followed by John Anderson and then Mark Vaile.
“Again and again, we’ve demonstrated that our glory days are when we work together,” he said on Tuesday night.
“I would say to both the parties, remember that, and if you’ve got policy differences, which inevitably you have, resolve them.”
Littleproud named four policy differences with the Liberals, among them the Nationals’ strong backing of nuclear power.
Howard said it would be appalling for the Coalition to abandon nuclear power.
“I personally think nuclear power is part of the solution,” he said.
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“There’s some debate about net zero. I understand that.
“I’m a bit of a sceptic on that, but I don’t have a vote anymore. I’m just a former prime minister.”
In a separate interview, Howard warned that policy differences should be resolved before they created a bigger divide.
“If the two parties remain separate for too long away from the Coalition then the differences on policy will harden and will be more difficult to resolve.”
The first Coalition split in nearly 40 years came after Littleproud and Liberal leader Sussan Ley failed to reach an agreement on four key policies.
The Nationals remain committed to nuclear energy, divestiture powers to pressure big supermarkets against anti-competitive behaviour and a regional investment fund which the coalition took to the last election.
Ley said that her party “needed the space” to work on its own policy development after the crushing election defeat.
“If the Nationals were unable to give us that space, and as a result decided to walk away from the Coalition, then that’s disappointing but that’s a decision for them.”
Ley said she didn’t believe that the coalition agreement itself should be hostage to individual policies.
Responding to a question from host Sarah Ferguson on net zero, Ley said the differences “might relate to climate policy” and other policies.
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Ley said the Liberal Party would work through its policies “very carefully, methodically, and with plenty of time” after listening to the Australian people.
Ley hasn’t ruled any policy in or out as her party rebuilds after an electoral drubbing cost it at least a dozen seats.
The Liberals will now become the official opposition to Labor, and the Nationals will have to give up their shadow portfolios. Half a dozen members will take a pay cut worth tens of thousands after walking away from leadership positions.
With the Liberals holding all the cards in opposition, the shadow cabinet – made up of just over 20 of the opposition’s top generals with portfolios shadowing government ministers – will not contain any Nationals.
Under the Coalition agreement, the two parties carved up spots in government and opposition on a proportional basis dependent on seats won.
Seven Nationals will step back from the shadow cabinet, including Littleproud, meaning they lose their 20 to 25 per cent loading on their base salary rates of about $230,000.
Five are actively taking pay cuts, while two others will forego a promotion.
There was an expectation that the two parties would get back together, political expert Henry Maher said.
The time apart would give the Liberals the opportunity to develop policies without pressure from the Nationals as they fight to win back inner-city seats lost to teal independents and Labor.
But they were ultimately stronger together, Maher said.
“The closer we get to the election, the more pressure there will be to rejoin,” he said.
Former Queensland Legislative Assembly speaker John Mickel went further, calling for a formal amalgamation at a federal level to solve the parties’ problems.
It could model the Liberal-National Party merger in Queensland in 2008, he said, adding it would stop competition between the two in some federal seats such as Bullwinkel in Western Australia, where they ran against each other.
Former WA Liberal Premier Colin Barnett has also made the case for a federal amalgamation.
