Sussan Ley's last-ditch effort at reconciliation with David Littleproud came to an abrupt end this week as the Nationals leader turned down her offer of talks. The decision, announced via a letter to Liberal MPs on Wednesday night, comes ahead of parliament's return next week and raises questions about the future of the Coalition.
Ley had written to Littleproud on Tuesday night proposing a meeting without any preconditions to discuss the two parties' relationship after last week's spectacular breakup. However, her offer was rebuffed by Littleproud due to his focus on a looming motion to spill the Nationals leadership, which is set to be debated at a party room meeting on Monday.
The motion, called by disgruntled backbencher Colin Boyce, aims to oust Littleproud as leader and replace him with a new candidate. Boyce, who has announced his intention to stand for the leadership, has accused Littleproud of leading the party "off a political cliff" after it split with the Liberals.
Despite the rejection, Ley's message to her colleagues made it clear that she was open to reuniting the Coalition – or at least maintaining a working relationship with the Nationals. She reminded them that as leaders of the two parties, they are the stewards of great movements that exist to serve the Australian people and that maintaining a strong and functioning relationship between their parties is in the national interest.
However, Ley's decision to accept the resignations of three Nationals senators who crossed the floor on Labor's hate speech laws has left her with little room for manoeuvre. The entire Nationals frontbench quit as a result, blowing up the Coalition. As a result, it seems increasingly likely that Ley will push ahead with announcing a Liberal-only frontbench ahead of parliament's return on Tuesday.
Littleproud is also expected to assign portfolios to the Nationals as soon as this week, and speculation about his leadership stability has intensified in recent days. Despite some unrest among Nationals MPs, Littleproud remains confident that he retains the support of most colleagues. However, with Boyce's bid for leadership gaining momentum, it remains to be seen how long Littleproud can hold onto power.
Ley had written to Littleproud on Tuesday night proposing a meeting without any preconditions to discuss the two parties' relationship after last week's spectacular breakup. However, her offer was rebuffed by Littleproud due to his focus on a looming motion to spill the Nationals leadership, which is set to be debated at a party room meeting on Monday.
The motion, called by disgruntled backbencher Colin Boyce, aims to oust Littleproud as leader and replace him with a new candidate. Boyce, who has announced his intention to stand for the leadership, has accused Littleproud of leading the party "off a political cliff" after it split with the Liberals.
Despite the rejection, Ley's message to her colleagues made it clear that she was open to reuniting the Coalition – or at least maintaining a working relationship with the Nationals. She reminded them that as leaders of the two parties, they are the stewards of great movements that exist to serve the Australian people and that maintaining a strong and functioning relationship between their parties is in the national interest.
However, Ley's decision to accept the resignations of three Nationals senators who crossed the floor on Labor's hate speech laws has left her with little room for manoeuvre. The entire Nationals frontbench quit as a result, blowing up the Coalition. As a result, it seems increasingly likely that Ley will push ahead with announcing a Liberal-only frontbench ahead of parliament's return on Tuesday.
Littleproud is also expected to assign portfolios to the Nationals as soon as this week, and speculation about his leadership stability has intensified in recent days. Despite some unrest among Nationals MPs, Littleproud remains confident that he retains the support of most colleagues. However, with Boyce's bid for leadership gaining momentum, it remains to be seen how long Littleproud can hold onto power.
. I mean, can you blame him? The Nat leader is basically staring at the barrel of a gun with Boyce's leadership bid gaining traction and his own frontbench in shambles. It's a classic case of who's got the upper hand in this power struggle... but let's be real, it's also a reflection of the party's internal divisions and inability to present a united front 
. Meanwhile, Ley's trying to salvage what's left of their relationship with the Libs, but at what cost? It's like they're playing whack-a-mole – every time they try to shore up one thing, another piece falls into place. Maybe it's time for them to take a step back and reassess their priorities... or is that just a convenient excuse to maintain the status quo 
?
. And what's with Ley taking back three Nationals senators who quit over Labor's hate speech laws? She must know that's a pretty big deal 
. I mean, you've got to wonder if he's worried about losing his job or something... Like, Colin Boyce is literally calling out his leadership right now and yet Littleproud is still confident in his own abilities? 
. But at the same time, it's not like she can just magic everything back together again 
.
. that motion to spill littleproud's leadership is gonna be a wild ride and i'm low-key hoping for some chaos in the lib nat party 
. on one hand, it's good that ley's open to reuniting with the nats but also how can she trust them after this? 
and btw, what even is going on with these senators who quit over labor's laws? didn't they have a brain or something 
. I don't know, man... sometimes I think the Coalition is just too fragile and can't handle a few setbacks without falling apart completely 
.
but it's like trying to hold water in her hands - the more she tries to grasp it, the more it slips away 
. The Nationals are done for as far as I'm concerned 
. They've got no one left but Colin Boyce and his crew who don't care about the party's future. And now that they've resigned over Ley's decision on hate speech laws, forget about any chance of reconciliation 
. It's every man for himself in this Coalition drama 
. I'm just waiting to see how long it takes for Sussan to go all-in on a Liberal-only frontbench - looks like she's got no choice left 
I mean, it's not all doom and gloom, right? The fact that Ley was willing to talk things out shows she's still committed to making things work. And hey, maybe Littleproud can learn a thing or two from Boyce's frustration and actually listen to his colleagues for once 
. Fingers crossed the Coalition doesn't implode completely – we need more stability in Canberra 
!
and Sussan Ley just threw away the last piece 
now it's looking really dark for her and Littleproud 
but actual action 
let's see if our leaders can put aside their differences and work together 
like a big team effort 
omg what's goin on in the libs 
i mean i get it, sussan ley's gotta stick by her guns, but ugh this whole thing is so messy 
David Littleproud must be so proud of his leadership skills... or lack thereof 
At least she can finally get on with fixing the mess without having to deal with any, you know, actual cooperation from her Nationals colleagues 
. Sussan Ley's last-ditch effort was probably a good idea, but now that it's been shot down... well, I'm not sure where this is going to go. The whole thing feels like a mess to me. And what's with the timing? Right before parliament comes back next week? It just makes sense to have some stability in government right now 
The situation in the Australian Coalition is becoming increasingly dire, and it seems like there are no winners. Sussan Ley's offer to David Littleproud was met with rejection, leaving many wondering about the future of the two parties. It's a sad state when even efforts at reconciliation come to an abrupt end.