Ex-Nationals leaders Barnaby Joyce, Michael McCormack turn on leader David Littleproud
Mr Littleproud has faced mounting leadership pressure from within his party since he briefly divorced the Nationals from their long-time Liberal partners back in May over four demands that newly elected Opposition Leader Sussan ley could not promise would be met.
Mr Littleproud demanded the Libs maintain their support for nuclear energy and a $20bn regional future fund, force the divestiture of supermarkets, and ensure mobile phone coverage was reliable across regional Australia.
The Nationals and Libs eventually made up just seven days later in a move that was internally described at the time by a party source as a 'train wreck'.
Since then, the Nationals have been battling to maintain an image that resembles party solidarity – but comments by once-bitter rivals Mr Joyce and Mr McCormack in The Australian have reopened the party's barely healed wounds just in time for parliament's first sitting week.
Mr McCormack and Mr Joyce directed most of their frustration towards Mr Littleproud over his choice to relegate them to the backbench – a move they feel gives them less sway in conversations around energy policy.
The member for New England said it was not uncommon for him to 'lose his sh*t' over wind farm developments, and Mr McCormack believes renewables companies are 'dividing families' by trying to attract local support for large-scale wind and solar projects.
Mr Joyce also drummed up support for Mr McCormack to replace Mr Littleproud as leader after the Coalition's election disaster. Mr McCormack has not ruled out running for the job in future.
According to The Australian, Mr McCormack said Mr Littleproud was 'the leader, and I'm ambitious for him' – a line that was infamously deployed by Scott Morrison barely 24 hours before he usurped Malcolm Turnbull as prime minister in 2018 and one that Mr McCormack has directed towards his embattled party leader once before.
Senator Ross Cadell was asked whether Mr McCormack and Mr Joyce were 'throwing a bucket' on Mr Littleproud's leadership while speaking from Canberra on Wednesday
'Ah, we're Nats, we're a bit fiery, it all happens. I'd prefer it didn't happen, but that's the way they want to do it,' he said.
'If they want to go out and (say) those things publicly, they can. Internally, we've had a party room, it didn't come up there. I think it was more a public facing thing than an internal problem.'
Despite the apparent chaos, Senator Cadell was still enthusiastic about 'going through the process' of figuring out the best path forward for net zero – a commitment that Mr Joyce and Mr McCormack both wish to abandon.
'We're going to take a slower process, get through it … there's a lot of people out there who want to grab headlines (and) there's people out there who want to do the work; each to their own,' he told ABC News Breakfast.
'I want to go through the process, I am open to looking at the evidence.'
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said Mr Joyce and Mr McCormack were 'good at speaking up for themselves,' and she would 'let them do that'.
'Nobody is getting under my skin … all my colleagues are valued. I have friendships across the aisle,' she said.
'We know that between the aisle we can form that strong opposition that holds the government to account, and that's the most important thing for all of us.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Over 80 per cent of Tuvalu seeks Australian climate visa as rising seas lap at nation's shores
The number of applications for a landmark climate visa to live in Australia are rising rapidly in the tiny island nation of Tuvalu, as ominously rising seas lap at its shores. More than 80 per cent of Pacific nation Tuvalu's population is now seeking refuge Down Under. Australia is offering visas to Tuvalu citizens each year under a climate migration deal Canberra has billed as 'the first agreement of its kind anywhere in the world'. 'We received extremely high levels of interest in the ballot with 8,750 registrations, which includes family members of primary registrants,' the Australian high commission in Tuvalu said in a statement. The figure is equal to 82 per cent of the country's 10,643 population, according to census figures collected in 2022. 'With 280 visas offered this program year, it means that many will miss out,' the commission said. One of the most climate-threatened corners of the planet, scientists fear Tuvalu will be uninhabitable within the next 80 years. Two of the archipelago's nine coral atolls have already largely disappeared under the waves. The figures were released hours before a landmark decision by the world's top court in The Hague laying out what legal obligations countries have to prevent climate change and whether polluters should pay up for the consequences. The case, which has been brought by Pacific nations, could reshape climate justice, with major impacts on laws around the world. 'First agreement of its kind' Australia and Tuvalu signed the groundbreaking Falepili Union in 2024, part of Canberra's efforts to blunt China's expanding reach in the region. Under that pact, Australia opened a new visa category specially set aside for citizens of Tuvalu who will be selected at random. 'Australia recognises the devastating impact climate change is having on the livelihoods, security, and wellbeing of climate vulnerable countries and people, particularly in the Pacific region,' Australia's foreign affairs department told AFP last month. 'This is the first agreement of its kind anywhere in the world, providing a pathway for mobility with dignity as climate impacts worsen.' It will also provide Tuvaluans the choice to live, study and work in Australia. Tuvalu citizens, including those living outside the country, were eligible to be included in the ballot if they are aged over 18 and pay a A$25 fee (US$16). The visa deal has been hailed as a landmark response to the looming challenge of climate-forced migration. The Falepili pact commits Australia to defending Tuvalu in the face of natural disasters, health pandemics and 'military aggression'. 'For the first time, there is a country that has committed legally to come to the aid of Tuvalu, upon request, when Tuvalu encounters a major natural disaster, a health pandemic or military aggression,' Tuvalu Prime Minister Feleti Teo said at the time. 'Again, for the first time there is a country that has committed legally to recognise the future statehood and sovereignty of Tuvalu despite the detrimental impact of climate changed-induced sea level rise.' The agreement also gives Australia a say in any other defence pacts Tuvalu signs with other countries, raising concerns at the time that the Pacific nation was handing over its sovereignty. Tuvalu is one of just 12 states that still have formal diplomatic relations with Taipei rather than Beijing. — with Brendan Kearns, AFP
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Nationals net-zero pushback intensifies, Littleproud open to dropping policy
Nationals leader David Littleproud has revealed he is "definitely" willing to flip the party's support for a 2050 net-zero emissions target while the renewable rollout is "tearing families apart" across regional communities. The revelation follows former Nationals leader Michael McCormack lending his support to a private members' bill being proposed by another former party leader in Barnaby Joyce to repeal legislation mandating greenhouse gas reduction goals. The tinderbox situation may see a new chapter in the nation's climate wars written as both Coalition partners continue to separately review their emissions and energy policies following the May 3 election bloodbath. However, Mr Littleproud stressed the party position adopted during the Morrison government was no longer set in stone prior to receiving the research being put together by Queensland senator Matt Canavan, a coal mining advocate who has steadfastly opposed net-zero. "I'm open ... I wanted to make sure we do this calmly and methodically, and understanding the human toll, the economic toll and the social toll this is having on our communities," Mr Littleproud said on Wednesday. "I think net zero unfortunately, has become something about trying to achieve the impossible rather than actually doing what's sensible, and we're bearing the burden of that." The comments follow news that the Clean Energy Council has thrown down the gauntlet to its 1000-odd member organisations in declaring that the industry must "redouble" its attempts to win community support and social license from regional Australians being asked to host large-scale wind and solar renewable projects. In a four-page letter sent to members, the peak lobby group's 10-member board said the rollout of the energy transition across the regions had so far produced "a mixed reaction from those communities". Meanwhile, it is unknown how the Coalition Agreement could work, or even survive, given there was already a week-long split after the election, should the Nationals drop net zero and a Liberal Party, desperately needing to win back inner-city seats to reform government, voted to retain it. Mr Joyce further stirred the pot in revealing that he "did not vote for net zero" in any previous party room vote, while Mr McCormack said he only backed the policy in 2021 to allay producer fears that Australia might be hit with international trade barriers if it did not adopt the target. "But the world has changed," the Riverina MP said. New Liberal leader Sussan Ley has not put a timeframe on when her party room would finalise its emission reductions and net-zero position, but provided some pointers to its substance in saying the nation should "play its part" in reducing emissions while needing to ensure a reliable and stable domestic energy grid. The policy will be significantly informed by an energy working group being led by opposition energy spokesman Dan Tehan. A Peter Dutton-led Coalition went to the May 3 election advocating for an energy sector transition underpinned by the rollout of up to seven nuclear power plants across Australia. Mr Tehan recently told ACM that the Coalition intends to "look at all aspects" of the terrain before bedding down a net-zero by 2050 policy, from weighing up its assessment of the economy-wide impacts of Labor's renewable rollout to "the cost of doing nothing". While Mr Joyce's proposed "Repeal Net Zero Bill 2025" does not have a chance of succeeding given Labor's majority and presumed opposition from the Greens and crossbench, the New England MP said people in the regions were "furious". "You get to understand the sort of fury that (people) have in regional areas," he said. While Mr Tehan likened Mr Joyce and Mr McCormack, who also placed a question mark over Mr Littleproud's leadership, to "two steers in a paddock", Nationals senator for NSW Ross Cadell told the ABC that his colleagues were "espousing the views of their electorates, which people come (to parliament) to do." "Michael is really concerned by the number of wind towers and the things around Yass that are going up, and how that affects his farmers," he said. "Barnaby is the same ... one thing we do know, and I agree with them very much on, is (the rollout) can be done better. "It is really hurting regional communities. When you see acres and acres of roofs without solar panels in the cities, we should be doing more there and having less effect on the regions for a start. "Social license has to happen. It is not happening and you are seeing increasingly these communities rise up because it is not being done the right way." Meanwhile, Liberal senator Jane Hume told media on Wednesday that "over and over" the electorate has indicated that it wants emission reduction policies. "We need to be able to take the politics out of the issue," she said. "And say, how do we get to a net-zero energy future, and reduce emissions, but at the same time maintain our prosperity?" Nationals leader David Littleproud has revealed he is "definitely" willing to flip the party's support for a 2050 net-zero emissions target while the renewable rollout is "tearing families apart" across regional communities. The revelation follows former Nationals leader Michael McCormack lending his support to a private members' bill being proposed by another former party leader in Barnaby Joyce to repeal legislation mandating greenhouse gas reduction goals. The tinderbox situation may see a new chapter in the nation's climate wars written as both Coalition partners continue to separately review their emissions and energy policies following the May 3 election bloodbath. However, Mr Littleproud stressed the party position adopted during the Morrison government was no longer set in stone prior to receiving the research being put together by Queensland senator Matt Canavan, a coal mining advocate who has steadfastly opposed net-zero. "I'm open ... I wanted to make sure we do this calmly and methodically, and understanding the human toll, the economic toll and the social toll this is having on our communities," Mr Littleproud said on Wednesday. "I think net zero unfortunately, has become something about trying to achieve the impossible rather than actually doing what's sensible, and we're bearing the burden of that." The comments follow news that the Clean Energy Council has thrown down the gauntlet to its 1000-odd member organisations in declaring that the industry must "redouble" its attempts to win community support and social license from regional Australians being asked to host large-scale wind and solar renewable projects. In a four-page letter sent to members, the peak lobby group's 10-member board said the rollout of the energy transition across the regions had so far produced "a mixed reaction from those communities". Meanwhile, it is unknown how the Coalition Agreement could work, or even survive, given there was already a week-long split after the election, should the Nationals drop net zero and a Liberal Party, desperately needing to win back inner-city seats to reform government, voted to retain it. Mr Joyce further stirred the pot in revealing that he "did not vote for net zero" in any previous party room vote, while Mr McCormack said he only backed the policy in 2021 to allay producer fears that Australia might be hit with international trade barriers if it did not adopt the target. "But the world has changed," the Riverina MP said. New Liberal leader Sussan Ley has not put a timeframe on when her party room would finalise its emission reductions and net-zero position, but provided some pointers to its substance in saying the nation should "play its part" in reducing emissions while needing to ensure a reliable and stable domestic energy grid. The policy will be significantly informed by an energy working group being led by opposition energy spokesman Dan Tehan. A Peter Dutton-led Coalition went to the May 3 election advocating for an energy sector transition underpinned by the rollout of up to seven nuclear power plants across Australia. Mr Tehan recently told ACM that the Coalition intends to "look at all aspects" of the terrain before bedding down a net-zero by 2050 policy, from weighing up its assessment of the economy-wide impacts of Labor's renewable rollout to "the cost of doing nothing". While Mr Joyce's proposed "Repeal Net Zero Bill 2025" does not have a chance of succeeding given Labor's majority and presumed opposition from the Greens and crossbench, the New England MP said people in the regions were "furious". "You get to understand the sort of fury that (people) have in regional areas," he said. While Mr Tehan likened Mr Joyce and Mr McCormack, who also placed a question mark over Mr Littleproud's leadership, to "two steers in a paddock", Nationals senator for NSW Ross Cadell told the ABC that his colleagues were "espousing the views of their electorates, which people come (to parliament) to do." "Michael is really concerned by the number of wind towers and the things around Yass that are going up, and how that affects his farmers," he said. "Barnaby is the same ... one thing we do know, and I agree with them very much on, is (the rollout) can be done better. "It is really hurting regional communities. When you see acres and acres of roofs without solar panels in the cities, we should be doing more there and having less effect on the regions for a start. "Social license has to happen. It is not happening and you are seeing increasingly these communities rise up because it is not being done the right way." Meanwhile, Liberal senator Jane Hume told media on Wednesday that "over and over" the electorate has indicated that it wants emission reduction policies. "We need to be able to take the politics out of the issue," she said. "And say, how do we get to a net-zero energy future, and reduce emissions, but at the same time maintain our prosperity?" Nationals leader David Littleproud has revealed he is "definitely" willing to flip the party's support for a 2050 net-zero emissions target while the renewable rollout is "tearing families apart" across regional communities. The revelation follows former Nationals leader Michael McCormack lending his support to a private members' bill being proposed by another former party leader in Barnaby Joyce to repeal legislation mandating greenhouse gas reduction goals. The tinderbox situation may see a new chapter in the nation's climate wars written as both Coalition partners continue to separately review their emissions and energy policies following the May 3 election bloodbath. However, Mr Littleproud stressed the party position adopted during the Morrison government was no longer set in stone prior to receiving the research being put together by Queensland senator Matt Canavan, a coal mining advocate who has steadfastly opposed net-zero. "I'm open ... I wanted to make sure we do this calmly and methodically, and understanding the human toll, the economic toll and the social toll this is having on our communities," Mr Littleproud said on Wednesday. "I think net zero unfortunately, has become something about trying to achieve the impossible rather than actually doing what's sensible, and we're bearing the burden of that." The comments follow news that the Clean Energy Council has thrown down the gauntlet to its 1000-odd member organisations in declaring that the industry must "redouble" its attempts to win community support and social license from regional Australians being asked to host large-scale wind and solar renewable projects. In a four-page letter sent to members, the peak lobby group's 10-member board said the rollout of the energy transition across the regions had so far produced "a mixed reaction from those communities". Meanwhile, it is unknown how the Coalition Agreement could work, or even survive, given there was already a week-long split after the election, should the Nationals drop net zero and a Liberal Party, desperately needing to win back inner-city seats to reform government, voted to retain it. Mr Joyce further stirred the pot in revealing that he "did not vote for net zero" in any previous party room vote, while Mr McCormack said he only backed the policy in 2021 to allay producer fears that Australia might be hit with international trade barriers if it did not adopt the target. "But the world has changed," the Riverina MP said. New Liberal leader Sussan Ley has not put a timeframe on when her party room would finalise its emission reductions and net-zero position, but provided some pointers to its substance in saying the nation should "play its part" in reducing emissions while needing to ensure a reliable and stable domestic energy grid. The policy will be significantly informed by an energy working group being led by opposition energy spokesman Dan Tehan. A Peter Dutton-led Coalition went to the May 3 election advocating for an energy sector transition underpinned by the rollout of up to seven nuclear power plants across Australia. Mr Tehan recently told ACM that the Coalition intends to "look at all aspects" of the terrain before bedding down a net-zero by 2050 policy, from weighing up its assessment of the economy-wide impacts of Labor's renewable rollout to "the cost of doing nothing". While Mr Joyce's proposed "Repeal Net Zero Bill 2025" does not have a chance of succeeding given Labor's majority and presumed opposition from the Greens and crossbench, the New England MP said people in the regions were "furious". "You get to understand the sort of fury that (people) have in regional areas," he said. While Mr Tehan likened Mr Joyce and Mr McCormack, who also placed a question mark over Mr Littleproud's leadership, to "two steers in a paddock", Nationals senator for NSW Ross Cadell told the ABC that his colleagues were "espousing the views of their electorates, which people come (to parliament) to do." "Michael is really concerned by the number of wind towers and the things around Yass that are going up, and how that affects his farmers," he said. "Barnaby is the same ... one thing we do know, and I agree with them very much on, is (the rollout) can be done better. "It is really hurting regional communities. When you see acres and acres of roofs without solar panels in the cities, we should be doing more there and having less effect on the regions for a start. "Social license has to happen. It is not happening and you are seeing increasingly these communities rise up because it is not being done the right way." Meanwhile, Liberal senator Jane Hume told media on Wednesday that "over and over" the electorate has indicated that it wants emission reduction policies. "We need to be able to take the politics out of the issue," she said. "And say, how do we get to a net-zero energy future, and reduce emissions, but at the same time maintain our prosperity?" Nationals leader David Littleproud has revealed he is "definitely" willing to flip the party's support for a 2050 net-zero emissions target while the renewable rollout is "tearing families apart" across regional communities. The revelation follows former Nationals leader Michael McCormack lending his support to a private members' bill being proposed by another former party leader in Barnaby Joyce to repeal legislation mandating greenhouse gas reduction goals. The tinderbox situation may see a new chapter in the nation's climate wars written as both Coalition partners continue to separately review their emissions and energy policies following the May 3 election bloodbath. However, Mr Littleproud stressed the party position adopted during the Morrison government was no longer set in stone prior to receiving the research being put together by Queensland senator Matt Canavan, a coal mining advocate who has steadfastly opposed net-zero. "I'm open ... I wanted to make sure we do this calmly and methodically, and understanding the human toll, the economic toll and the social toll this is having on our communities," Mr Littleproud said on Wednesday. "I think net zero unfortunately, has become something about trying to achieve the impossible rather than actually doing what's sensible, and we're bearing the burden of that." The comments follow news that the Clean Energy Council has thrown down the gauntlet to its 1000-odd member organisations in declaring that the industry must "redouble" its attempts to win community support and social license from regional Australians being asked to host large-scale wind and solar renewable projects. In a four-page letter sent to members, the peak lobby group's 10-member board said the rollout of the energy transition across the regions had so far produced "a mixed reaction from those communities". Meanwhile, it is unknown how the Coalition Agreement could work, or even survive, given there was already a week-long split after the election, should the Nationals drop net zero and a Liberal Party, desperately needing to win back inner-city seats to reform government, voted to retain it. Mr Joyce further stirred the pot in revealing that he "did not vote for net zero" in any previous party room vote, while Mr McCormack said he only backed the policy in 2021 to allay producer fears that Australia might be hit with international trade barriers if it did not adopt the target. "But the world has changed," the Riverina MP said. New Liberal leader Sussan Ley has not put a timeframe on when her party room would finalise its emission reductions and net-zero position, but provided some pointers to its substance in saying the nation should "play its part" in reducing emissions while needing to ensure a reliable and stable domestic energy grid. The policy will be significantly informed by an energy working group being led by opposition energy spokesman Dan Tehan. A Peter Dutton-led Coalition went to the May 3 election advocating for an energy sector transition underpinned by the rollout of up to seven nuclear power plants across Australia. Mr Tehan recently told ACM that the Coalition intends to "look at all aspects" of the terrain before bedding down a net-zero by 2050 policy, from weighing up its assessment of the economy-wide impacts of Labor's renewable rollout to "the cost of doing nothing". While Mr Joyce's proposed "Repeal Net Zero Bill 2025" does not have a chance of succeeding given Labor's majority and presumed opposition from the Greens and crossbench, the New England MP said people in the regions were "furious". "You get to understand the sort of fury that (people) have in regional areas," he said. While Mr Tehan likened Mr Joyce and Mr McCormack, who also placed a question mark over Mr Littleproud's leadership, to "two steers in a paddock", Nationals senator for NSW Ross Cadell told the ABC that his colleagues were "espousing the views of their electorates, which people come (to parliament) to do." "Michael is really concerned by the number of wind towers and the things around Yass that are going up, and how that affects his farmers," he said. "Barnaby is the same ... one thing we do know, and I agree with them very much on, is (the rollout) can be done better. "It is really hurting regional communities. When you see acres and acres of roofs without solar panels in the cities, we should be doing more there and having less effect on the regions for a start. "Social license has to happen. It is not happening and you are seeing increasingly these communities rise up because it is not being done the right way." Meanwhile, Liberal senator Jane Hume told media on Wednesday that "over and over" the electorate has indicated that it wants emission reduction policies. "We need to be able to take the politics out of the issue," she said. "And say, how do we get to a net-zero energy future, and reduce emissions, but at the same time maintain our prosperity?"
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Infighting erupts in the National Party
Labor made a lot of big promises at the last election but rather than coming under challenge today in Question Time, it was the Opposition's problems that dominated the day. Sarah Ferguson speaks to former Nationals Leader Barnaby Joyce about the events of the day and Education Minister Jason Clare speaks about the regulation of childcare centres.
