Fri Jan 30

Sussan Ley fills frontbench holes temporarily, giving a brief window for Nationals to rethink Coalition split

Written by: Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley on Friday allocated responsibilities formerly held by the Nationals to existing Liberal shadow ministers on a temporary basis.

This will get the opposition through the next parliamentary week, starting Tuesday. It also gives the Nationals a chance to rethink their split of the Coalition, if they choose.

But if there is no move for reunification, Ley declared she would appoint new Liberal shadow ministers before Monday of the following week. This would further entrench the split, making a rapprochement much more politically complicated.

The parliamentary Liberal party has its regular meeting on Tuesday. Although on balance, a move for a leadership spill is not expected, the situation is unpredictable.

Ley said in a statement: “With several upcoming parliamentary sittings, including Senate Estimates, the Liberal Leadership Group has met and agreed that the finalisation of longer term shadow ministerial arrangements is also required.

"It is intended that these acting arrangements cease before the second February sitting week commences (Monday 9 February), when I appoint a further six parliamentarians to serve in the Shadow Cabinet and two in the outer Shadow Ministry, on an ongoing basis.

"There is enormous talent in the parliamentary Liberal Party and my party room is more than capable of permanently fulfilling each and every one of those roles.”

Ley said the Nationals’ decision to leave the Coalition was “regrettable and unnecessary” and stressed again the “door remains open”.

“The Liberal and National parties exist to serve the Australian people and the maintenance of a strong and functioning relationship between both is in the national interest — whether we are in a formal Coalition or not.”

Nationals Leader David Littleproud responded to Ley’s request earlier this week for a leadership meeting before parliament resumes by saying he was unavailable until after Monday’s Nationals meeting dealt with the call for a spill by Queenslander Colin Boyce.

Ley said: “I understand and respect his decision to await his party’s consideration of a forthcoming spill motion. Following Monday’s parliamentary meeting of The Nationals, I will attempt to meet with whoever is elected as their leader.”

Littleproud’s leadership is not under threat at the meeting.

The temporary responsibilities existing frontbenchers take on are:

Shadow Treasurer Ted O’Brien: assistant treasurer and financial services
Shadow Foreign Minister Michaelia Cash: trade, investment and tourism
Shadow Health Minister Anne Ruston: agriculture, fisheries and forestry
Shadow Energy Minister Dan Tehan: resources and northern Australia
Shadow Special Minister of State James McGrath: infrastructure, transport, regional development, local government and territories
Shadow Defence Minister Angus Taylor: veterans’ affairs
Shadow Environment Minister Angie Bell: water and emergency management.

With leadership aspirants Andrew Hastie and Taylor failing ^[1] at a Thursday meeting to reach an agreement about who would challenge Ley, the Liberals are in a holding pattern.

Ley, who is usually constantly giving news conferences and interviews, has made no media appearances for a week.

Thursday’s footage of the Hastie-Taylor meeting has added to the dreadful publicity around the Liberals, especially the message it sent to women: an all-male gathering to talk about rolling a female leader, held on the day of the memorial service for a much-respected female former Liberal MP. And then the outcome was a stalemate.