Daily London
The entire Nationals frontbench, including leader David Littleproud, quit in protest after three senators were dumped from the shadow ministry for breaking Coalition by voting against the government’s hate speech laws, despite shadow cabinet agreeing to back the legislation.
One of those three Senators, McKenzie, told Today a Coalition split was not “ideal” but she would not rule it out, passing the buck to Opposition Leader Sussan Ley who is yet to accept the mass resignations.
“Well, that’s a decision for Sussan Ley and David Littleproud,” she said.
“We don’t want to see the Coalition dissolve, but we are also not going to step away from standing up for what our party room decided and that’s that’s our job.”
McKenzie defended her opposition to the hate speech laws, insisting the reforms needed further investigation through a short Senate inquiry.
“This was a very difficult decision for our room,” she said.
“To say that somehow we should have folded on this legislation and against our principles, I think, is sending the wrong message.”
Yesterday, Ley accepted the resignations of McKenzie and fellow frontbenchers Ross Cadell and Susan McDonald after they broke ranks to vote against the hate speech bill in the Senate.
While Coalition backbenchers are free to cross the floor under the agreement between the Liberals and Nationals, frontbenchers are required to vote in line with the position taken by shadow cabinet.
Littleproud then wrote to Ley, threatening the entire Nationals frontbench would follow in order “to take collective responsibility” if she accepted the trio’s resignations.
Ley called the resignations “unnecessary” and said she would not make any permanent changes to the shadow ministry to give her junior partner time to reconsider.
“The Liberal Party supports the Coalition arrangements because they deliver the most effective political alliance for good government,” she said in a statement yesterday.
“I note that in David’s letter, he has not indicated that the Nationals are leaving the Coalition.”
The Coalition, however, now appears to be hurtling towards the second split since last year’s federal election.
Littleproud is expected to speak to reporters this morning.
