US EditionAustralia's conservative opposition coalition splits again over hate speech laws
Nationals leader David Littleproud and 10 frontbenchers quit the Coalition shadow cabinet over disputes on hate speech laws and shadow cabinet solidarity, ending the junior partner's coalition role.
- On Jan 22, Nationals leader David Littleproud announced the Nationals were leaving the Coalition, calling it "untenable" and saying they "cannot be part of a shadow ministry under Sussan Ley".
- The dispute began when three Nationals senators—Bridget McKenzie, Ross Cadell and Susan McDonald—voted against the Labor government's hate-crime legislation on Tuesday and resigned the next morning.
- Wednesday's mass walkout saw eight National Party frontbenchers quit their portfolios in protest, but Opposition Leader Sussan Ley rejected the resignations as unnecessary and kept the shadow ministry unchanged.
- The break immediately puts Sussan Ley, Opposition Leader and Liberal Party leader, under renewed threat amid poor polling, while the Coalition holds less than one-third of the Lower House of Parliament.
- With One Nation's rise, the Coalition faces its second split since May 2025, as Barnaby Joyce's defection and One Nation's gains erode the Nationals' base.
44 Articles
44 Articles
Jim Chalmers: 'The Coalition is a smoking ruin'
The Coalition has reached a breaking point as the National Party officially splits from the Liberals, following a mass frontbench walkout over controversial hate speech legislation. While Opposition Leader Sussan Ley attempted to block some of the resignations to maintain unity, former colleagues and political rivals alike are labeling the fallout a "smoking ruin" that threatens the future of the alternative government.
Littleproud Declares Coalition ‘Untenable’ Under Ley’s Leadership
Nationals leader David Littleproud has strongly hinted that his party cannot serve in a shadow ministry under Opposition Leader Sussan Ley. The rupture became public on Jan. 21, when all Nationals MPs withdrew from the Coalition frontbench, following the earlier resignation of three senators who defied a unified shadow cabinet position on Labor’s anti-hate bill. Ley had earlier accepted the resignations of Senators Bridget McKenzie, Susan McDona…
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