The coalition is back together and looking to the future, not the past.
It's been just over two weeks since the Liberal and National Party's dramatic split, and now the coalition is back together.
We did have differences, David and I and our party rooms. We've resolved those differences.
Susan Lee and David Little Proud insists they're now solid, guaranteeing that after two coalition splits in the space of a year, this time there'll be no more breakups.
We've strengthened our processes and we're going forward as a united coalition to take the fight up to labor On behalf of millions of Australians who are cheering us on.
I'm Nicole Johnston and you're listening to seven AM Today Press Gallery journalist Karen Middleton on how the coalition got back together after their big blow up and whether this time it's for good. It's Monday, February nine. Karen, it was pretty short lived as far as breakups go, just over two weeks. They're now back together. How did we get here and could you tell us what happened?
Well, well, how we got here is a long and winding road, Nicole. This is the second breakup and the second reconciliation in nine months, and we're supposed to believe it all is forgiven and everything is fine. Now it's happy families again and they'll be working for the Australian
people and the Australian people can rely on that. I think we might need a little more evidence than that, to be honest, after the ructions of the last nine months, where we got to I guess was we saw the most recent bust up three weeks ago now, when the government brought the new hate speech laws into the Parliament. The Nationals insisted there wasn't enough time, and in the end that three of their shadow ministers crossed the floor in the Senate and we're basically forced to resign from
the shadow ministry, as is the convention. That's where the fund began. They said they shouldn't be forced to resign or shouldn't be sacked, and all the Nationals from the front bench walked out and the coalition collapsed again. So now we're supposed to believe that everything's been sorted out in the last couple of weeks, especially in the last few days in conversations back and forth.
Don't worry about it. We're good mouth and from what you've heard, how tense were these negotiations.
They've become increasingly colorful, according to news reports. News dot com Au reported, for example, that at one point David Little Proud shouted at Susan Lee.
Resign, resign, resign, and then the Nine.
Papers have suggested that in response, Susan Lee said, well, you've given me an assessment of my leadership, let me give you an assessment of yours. So you know, no love lost really at a personal level between the two of them, and yet somehow we have reached this mutually beneficial, it seems, agreement and everyone's meant to believe it's going to be fine. You can tell, probably by my tone that I'm struggling to be convinced.
So in terms of this agreement, though, what's in it? What have they actually come up with.
Well, they've agreed that the three Nationals front benches will only be suspended from the Shadow ministry for six weeks. Originally it was going to be six months, but really under the convention that has existed since they were in coalition, it should be they're out. So they've negotiated and horse traded on that and got to a six week deal.
That means that all the Nationals shadow ministers will become shadow ministers again as of the first of March, and that means that the acting arrangements that Susan Lee has put in place with her Liberal front bench will end
on that date. There are a couple other provisions, such as the shadow ministers will be required to sign an agreement adhering to shadow cabinet solidarity that's supposed to make sure that this kind of a a breach of the party position doesn't happen again and neither party is able to override the other. And they're going to have a sort of a note taking a minute taking arrange and in shadow cabinet to take note formally of decisions made.
I guess that's so that nobody can come back later and so hang on, we didn't agree to that, So that's what they're calling a strengthening of processes.
So at the end of the day, who do you think of the better deal?
Well, that's the interesting question, isn't it. I think they've both reached a deal because suited them to do that more than staying apart. I'm not really sure what the Nationals achieved by walking out the way they did. The people are still being suspended, albeit for a shorter time. They're now being forced to sign up to arrangements on shadow cabinet, where the shadow cabinet arrangements were more loose before. So I don't know what they've gained by.
That, Susan Lee.
I guess has gained the restoration of the coalition, which was something that senior liberals were calling for, the likes of John Howard, for example, former Prime Minister, saying, you know, we need a coalition back together. Mind you, there were some other senior liberals in recent days saying maybe we need some time apart, maybe this has one too many chansions from the Nationals and it's time we stood back and worked out what we actually believe in.
So David Little Proud said he could guarantee there'd be no more breakups.
It looked ugly, but we've had the courage to come back and say we're going to make sure it never happens again.
Is that realistic given the personal differences here, because it's only just been over two weeks since they resigned.
Our party room has made it very clear we cannot be part of a shadow ministry under Susan Lee.
What's changed since then?
Well, this is the credibility problem that David Little Proud in particular faces. He has made a lot of strong statements, particularly the one you just cited, the coalition could not reform under seasonally. Apparently now that's all changed because they've had some face to face conversations and they've looked each other in the eye and they've got each other's measure and he absolutely trusts the Liberal Party and.
The leader of the Liberal Party.
Now, well, I just think it stretches credibility and I think the Australian people, those who pay any attention to this at all, will be saying, hang on a minute, like one minute you're saying one thing and another minute you're saying another thing. How did we get this all patched up so quickly? And isn't this really just a
matter of expediency for both of you. I think they've lost a huge amount of credibility all round from these shenanigans, and I struggle to believe that this will be the end of it.
What was your response or what did you think when you heard both of them say in the press conference I trust him I trust the party.
Yes, one hundred percent. I trust David and I wouldn't be standing here today if I didn't trust Susan Lene, I didn't trust the Liberal Party.
How did you find that vibe? Well, I just don't believe it. It's a statement of convenience.
How can Susan Lee trust someone who's walked out on her twice and then come back saying oh, it's forgiven twice, and just three weeks ago said can't be part of anything that she leads and has given off contemptuous vibes about her. He does not behave like he likes her or that he respects her. There's an awful lot of discomfort all round in the Liberal Party and in some parts of the Nationals about the way he refers to
her and behaves towards her. He uses the word respect all the time, but the way he is when he talks about her does not give off that indication. So I think we will see how it goes. But if I were her, I'd be a bit wary, and if I was him, I'd be thinking will she be here?
And do I want her to be here?
Well, that's a question only David Little praud can answer for himself, but you've got to wonder whether he's thinking a few steps ahead and planning for another Liberal Party.
Partner coming up. Can Lee stay impact Karen? There had been this speculation that Angus Taylor could challenge Susan Lee for the leadership this week. So what does this development mean for her position and does it keep the sharks from circling for now?
Well, that's the question, and the suggestion has been that she was motivated to do this deal because she risked Angus Taylor quitting the front bench if she didn't and then bringing on a challenge this week. Now, has this stopped that from recurring? Maybe maybe it's still aid things.
Maybe it hasn't. You could argue, had she held out and told David Little Proud no, she wasn't going to reform the coalition and reallocated those Nationals front bench seats to Liberals, then she would have half a dozen or so more Liberals beholden to her for a front bench position, and Angus Taylor would be in the position of having to decide, well, if he challenges is he offering those people positions again or is he going to pull them back and try and reform the coalition, and so that
means there would have been a half dozen liberals also who owed their front bitch positions to Susan Lee. Now you know that's just a counter narrative. It just tells you there are a number of different ways of looking at things, and I don't know that you can be certain that this move in reforming the coalition at this time in this way has stopped any chance of a challenge to her leadership.
If we could broaden it out a bit to the Albanezi government, they've had this brief reprieve with the coalition in crisis. Will they now have to watch their backs again or will they be looking to find a way to try and exploit any cracks.
So I think all political parties are looking to exploit cracks in other political parties. They need to make sure they don't overplay their hand. Though they couldn't help themselves with a few funny one liners in Parliament last week, just drawing attention to the shambles on the other side. But I don't think they'd want to keep doing that for too much longer, because they're the ones in charge and they need to focus on the economy and improving
things around the country. So I think a little bit of leeway to have a joke at the expense of the other side. But if you keep doing it, your own credibility starts to be questioned, because you've got a big job to do and you should focus on that. So I don't know that they're going to be pushing things much further, but you can't blame them, really, and you can't be surprised that a political party might have a crack when their opponents are in such a mess.
So, Karen, from everything you've said, it sounds like you think that the credibility of the Liberal and National parties has been shot. How do they go about rebuilding from here? Well, that's the big question.
Can they really get along? When they said they couldn't, and they demonstrated that they couldn't, and all their interactions, you know, to blind Freddy suggested that they couldn't. Now apparently they can. Well, the problem proving that something's not happening, Ah is it is quite difficult to do. And we'll see if they can find a way to demonstrate that they unified that doesn't involve a leadership ballot in either of the Liberal or the National Party.
Karen, thank you so much for joining us today.
Thanks the goal.
Also in the news, police will be given the powers to season destroy illegally modified e bikes after the new South Wales government announced a crackdown. Any bikes able to exceed the twenty five kilometer an hour speed limit will
be crushed. It comes after a group of forty young riders swarmed the Sydney Harbor Bridge last week performing stunts and Queensland is set to outlaw the phrases from the River to the Sea and globalize the into Fada under new laws designed to tackle anti Semitism and hate speech. There will also be tougher penalties on the use of symbols such as swastikas, the hamas and Islamic state flags
and the Hesbala emblem. The crackdown includes penalties of up to seven years jail for intimidation and wilful damage at places of worship. I'm Nicole Johnston. This is seven am. I'll be back tomorrow.