Nationals MP Michael McCormack says he's not going to roll current leader David Littleproud to claim the party's leadership "anytime soon." meanwhile, the Liberal Party has agreed "in principle" to four policy demands from the nationals to help re-form the Coalition.
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00:00The drama here in Canberra just feels like it hasn't stopped all week.
00:06But look, Michael McCormack has just appeared on afternoon briefing and as you say, he said
00:10that he's not going to roll David Littleproud to win the party's leadership any time soon.
00:16So to take you sort of back to this morning, the ABC had been told that Barnaby Joyce, another
00:21Nationals MP, was hoping that Michael McCormack, or was telling colleagues that he hoped Michael
00:27McCormack could take on the leadership role.
00:30He said, Mr Joyce, that is, that after the week that's been with this sort of national
00:35split from the Liberals and breaking up the coalition, that he didn't think that Mr Littleproud's
00:41leadership was tenable any longer.
00:44Now, Michael McCormack said this morning that he wasn't mounting a challenge and that he
00:49had ambition for David Littleproud in the leadership role.
00:54Now, that comment raised eyebrows, certainly, because you might remember these remarks from
00:592018.
01:02Can you rule out having any leadership ambitions?
01:07Me?
01:08This is my leader.
01:09There you go.
01:10And I'm ambitious for him.
01:12Yeah, good on you.
01:12Thanks, Goma.
01:13Now, in 2018, just a couple days after that, Scott Morrison did end up rolling then Liberal
01:22Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
01:24And that's why it's raised so many eyebrows.
01:27So, Michael McCormack just appeared on afternoon briefing again today and was asked about that
01:33comment.
01:34What did he mean by it?
01:35No, look, it was a bit tongue-in-cheek.
01:38I'm a student of political history and just answered the question.
01:43I am ambitious for David.
01:44I want the nationals to be the best they can be and he's our leader and I support him.
01:48I'm not planning on rolling David anytime soon.
01:52Tongue-in-cheek comment from Michael McCormack there, but he must know the waves, comments
01:56like that would make Evelyn.
01:58Meanwhile, there's been action in the other side of the other wing of the Conservative Parties
02:04of Australia.
02:05Tell us more about what's happened in this Liberal Party meeting this afternoon.
02:08So, Susan Lee, the Liberal leader, did convene her party room this afternoon, a very last
02:14minute meeting.
02:15What happened is they gave, in principle, agreement to four key policies that the nationals were
02:22demanding.
02:22So, this has been one of the things at the centre of this very dramatic breakup between
02:28the two parties this week.
02:30The nationals wanted this solid commitment from the Liberals on nuclear power, divestiture
02:36powers to be able to break up the supermarkets if they abuse their market power, a $20 billion
02:42regional fund to help with things like infrastructure and then also universal telecommunications right
02:49across the country.
02:50So, Liberals say that they've given, in principle, agreement to this, notably with the nuclear
02:56power.
02:57It is on lifting the moratorium on nuclear power, not going so far as the election commitment
03:03around building seven nuclear power sites across the country.
03:07Now, the reason Susan Lee did have the confidence to convene this meeting and, I suppose, take a
03:13step forward, really, in the coalition relationship is she felt yesterday that David Littleproud had
03:19made sufficient public comments around giving shadow cabinet solidarity.
03:25So, she felt like she had a commitment from him around that because she was a bit uneasy
03:29about it earlier in the week.
03:31That happened.
03:32Then she called this meeting today and they will now give, in principle, support to those
03:38policy demands from the nationals.
03:40So, Susan Lee will now go back to David Littleproud and meet with him.
03:44We do understand, though, from at least one Liberal source that they still feel like there's
03:48some negotiation to go in these policy areas, but that they do have that, in principle, demand.
03:54So, it certainly is a step forward in the coalition relationship.