Nationals abandon Coalition in historic break-up

Australian Community Media

After 80 years of political partnership, Leader of the Nationals David Littleproud has confirmed they will not re-join the Coalition with the Liberal Party in a historic breakdown over nuclear power talks.

Transcript

00:00This morning, after the discussions that both Susan Lay and I have had over the ensuring

00:05period, our party room has got to a position where we will not be re-entering a coalition

00:11agreement with the Liberal Party after this election.

00:16What we have got to a position is that the National Party will sit alone on a principled

00:21basis, on the basis of looking forward, not having to look back and to try and actually

00:27regain important policy pieces that change the lives of the people we represent.

00:33It's on a principled position of making sure that those hard-fought wins are maintained

00:38and respected and we continue to look forward.

00:40We look forward to what else we can do as a party and as part of an opposition now that

00:46can shape the lives of regional Australians for the better and those positions that we

00:53couldn't get comfort around a nuclear being part of an energy grid into the future, about

01:01the Regional Australia Future Fund, a $20 billion fund paying a $1 billion dividend every year

01:06above and beyond, to change the lives of regional Australians.

01:09About employing and training some doctors, to actually filling in some potholes, to actually

01:14giving young families the hope of childcare.

01:17What we fight for every day.

01:20That's the principle position we took that we needed to have comfort around and what we

01:24are saying is that what we secured in the former coalition are policies that should remain.

01:29We don't want to have to look back and waste energy on trying to re-prosecute the case.

01:34We should be continuing to look forward.

01:36And so I had a respectful conversation with Susan Lee this morning and sat down, made it very

01:41clear that we remain committed to having the door open, respecting the position that Susan's

01:48been put in, that she is a leader that needs to rebuild the Liberal Party.

01:53They are going on a journey of rediscovery and this will provide them the opportunity to

01:59do that without the spectre of the National Party imposing their will.

02:03But setting clear boundaries and parameters about what's important to us, about what we

02:08achieved as a coalition in the last three years.

02:11Building on that, not having to look back and to fight for things but to actually focus

02:17on what's important, changing the lives of people in regional Australia.

02:22Young kids that are in regional Australia and the reason I got into politics was seeing

02:26them for generations leave regional Australia to go over the great dividing range and go

02:31to capital cities and never come back.

02:33I got into politics to bring them home and to keep them home.

02:37And I don't want to have to go back and fight to get what we need to make sure I give the

02:43opportunity the people we represent.

02:45And I respect the principal position that Susan is in and she needs to go through a process

02:50and I want to give her that time.

02:53And we made it very clear to one another that I believe she is the leader that can help the

02:59Liberal Party reinvent itself and get it to a juncture that the Australian people want

03:03to see, a healthy opposition.

03:05And I gave her that commitment that I'll work every day with her to try and rebuild that

03:10relationship to the point where we can re-enter a coalition before the next election.

03:14But at this juncture, we're making a principal position about not what we're prepared to

03:20give up on but to build on what we've achieved.

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