Australia news LIVE: Sussan Ley defends leadership as Liberals and Nationals reel from Coalition split
Liberal deputy backs Ley's leadership and cabinet solidarity
By Lachlan Abbott
Deputy Liberal leader Ted O'Brien says Sussan Ley has the support of her party and backed her decision to accept the resignations of three Nationals for breaking cabinet solidarity.
Appearing on ABC Radio's AM program earlier, O'Brien acknowledged speculation about Ley's future after the Nationals walked away from the Coalition yesterday and criticised Ley for not letting them vote against the Liberal-backed hate crimes bill.
"Yes, she will," O'Brien said when asked if Ley would remain leader, adding he supported getting the Coalition back together.
"But you don't just form a Coalition without any conditions," he said.
"There has to be a rock solid commitment to work together as one team. And that means everybody following one set of rules – rules that apply equally to everyone – and that includes cabinet solidarity."
O'Brien agreed the hate crimes bill that triggered the Nationals' disquiet could've been handled better across the board, but said a main challenge was the Nationals were unable to set a clear position.
"They had three different positions within the parliament – support, oppose, and abstain – on the one bill," he said.
Labor minister blasts Coalition chaos on day of mourning for Bondi
By Lachlan Abbott
Industry Minister Tim Ayres lashed the opposition earlier today for the political chaos on the national day of mourning for the victims of the Bondi attack yesterday.
"I’ve never seen anything so dispiriting, so self-absorbed from a group of political parties," Ayres told ABC Radio National this morning.
"The Coalition hasn’t learned the lesson of the Morrison years. If you put the party interest before the national interest, you inevitably end up focused on yourselves and your own interest."
He added: "They managed to make not just yesterday, but this whole week, about themselves, when it should have been about a national response to this atrocity at Bondi."
Ayres said Anthony Albanese’s apology to the Jewish community at a memorial event last night was reflective of the sorrow the government felt over the atrocity.
"We’ve been, as a government, engaged fully, ever since the very first minutes after this event happened," Ayres said.
"The prime minister, and particularly the ministers responsible for security and social cohesion, [are] making sure that our response is full and effective. And that we’re as a government, examining any shortfalls here. We’re not defensive about these questions."
'Ridiculous': Littleproud denies he yelled at Ley on phone
By Lachlan Abbott
David Littleproud was back on Channel Seven earlier as he tried to explain the Coalition’s split and denied he yelled at Liberal leader Sussan Ley on the phone.
"No. I mean, that’s nonsense," Littleproud said when asked by host Natalie Barr if he spoke to Ley in an unhinged way.
"I mean, if it’s going to get into that sort of nonsense, that’s ridiculous. The reality was we have been transparent and upfront all the way. We’ve been very honest about what the consequences were and gave solutions all the way along for this to be averted. It’s tragic that Sussan Ley didn’t take it up.
"If she’s grasping at personal attacks now, well, good luck."
Littleproud said the Nationals wouldn’t rush into rejoining the Coalition if Ley was to depart as Liberal leader immediately.
"Our door is open, but the reality is I think it’s healthy for a bit of time apart," Littleproud said.
When asked if this meant his door was open to Ley, he responded: "At some point, but at the moment, we just can’t see a pathway to that when our three senators were sacked for no reason."
Jacinta Price says she still has no faith in Sussan Ley
By Lachlan Abbott
Firebrand conservative senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who moved from the Nationals to the Liberals after the last election, has previously said she does not have confidence in Sussan Ley’s leadership.
Appearing on Sky News last night as speculation over Ley’s future mounts, Price again said she wasn’t a fan of the current Liberal leader, who booted her to the backbench in September after inflammatory comments about Indian migrants.
"I made it very clear that obviously the leader had lost trust in me, lost faith in me, and I suppose I felt the same at the time," Price said last night.
"I don’t feel like things have improved."
With AAP
Stefanovic asks Ley: ‘How long have you got before they knife you?’
By Lachlan Abbott
Sussan Ley insists Liberal leadership aspirants Andrew Hastie and Angus Taylor are “strong, committed members” of her team as she defends her work as opposition leader amid the Coalition’s split.
Just before 8am, Today host Sarah Abo asked Ley how she planned to lead the country if she couldn’t lead the Coalition, to which the Liberal leader said: "I have led, and with respect, we’ve had genuine wins with all of the things we’ve done so far."
She listed the opposition’s energy and migration policies, Bondi terror attack response, and concern for the cost of living as evidence of her leadership.
"I know that it hasn’t been the summer that the Labor Party wanted because I as leader have held them to account, and stood there every day," she said.
Host Karl Stefanovic, however, soon asked: "How long have you got before they knife you?"
Ley responded:
"That’s a question of course you would ask, Karl. But I am absolutely confident of the leadership I have delivered, the leadership I will deliver. And the strength of effort that my party and I are making every single day on the behalf of the people – the millions of Australians who sent us to Canberra."
Now, I know there’s been speculation. And I know that tends to drive a lot of reporting. But what is really going on here is the business of opposition. And it’s important. And it matters. And the government has made mistakes. And they’ll continue to make mistakes when we hold them to account in the way that we have."
Abo then asked: "Are you worried about Andrew Hastie or Angus Taylor?"
Ley responded:
"They’re strong committed members of my team. In fact, Angus dialled in from overseas where he was, as part of my Liberal leadership group, to back in the actions that we took."
Watch: Ley grilled after Coalition implodes
By
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley was interviewed on Nine’s Today show this morning after the Coalition split yesterday.
Watch her full appearance below:
Ley responds to Littleproud’s claim the Nationals tried to help her
By Lachlan Abbott
Sussan Ley says respect still exists between the Liberals and the Nationals, despite David Littleproud declaring his party could not serve in a shadow cabinet with her as leader.
Earlier on Today, Littleproud suggested the Nationals had actually tried to help Ley by abstaining during a vote on Labor’s hate crimes bill when it was in the House of Representatives.
"We gave concessions and respect all the way through – and that’s the disappointing thing," Littleproud said, blaming Ley for the Coalition split.
Shown that footage on Today just before 8am, Ley responded:
"Respect is there. It’s there between the people in the Liberals and the people in the Nationals. Look, it always has been. [There are] great friendships between our two parties."
Host Karl Stefanovic interrupted before Ley finished her answer to ask if she was living in an alternate universe and not acknowledging that the Coalition had broken up.
Littleproud blames Ley for Coalition split
By Lachlan Abbott
David Littleproud has again defended his party’s move to blow up the Coalition, arguing that the Nationals in fact tried to avoid the schism over a hate crimes bill.
The Queensland MP appeared on Nine’s Today show just after 7am today and denied he had handed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese a political gift.
"No. This was something we tried to avert," Littleproud said.
"We made very clear that this was a very shortened process, one that the proper processes weren’t afforded to the National Party. We didn’t get comfort with the bill. We couldn’t bring ourselves to vote for the bill. And we didn’t break any solidarity of cabinet or Coalition because those forums weren’t provided to us."
He added: "Three senators sent their resignations out of respect to try and keep the Coalition together. If those resignations hadn’t been accepted, then we wouldn’t have broken the Coalition. Sussan Ley broke the Coalition when she accepted those three resignations. But we didn’t have to get to this juncture."
Ley suggests Liberals ‘don’t need to take advice’ from Nats
By Lachlan Abbott
Sussan Ley has declined to respond directly to David Littleproud’s criticism of her leadership, but said the Liberal Party didn’t need advice about how it conducted itself.
Earlier today, Sunrise host Natalie Barr asked Ley how angry she was that the Nationals’ leader had decided to blow up the Coalition on a national day of mourning, but the Liberal leader largely avoided the question.
"We do have a responsibility to work constructively together because the Coalition is always stronger when it is together. Always," Ley said.
"My focus is always on the Australian people, so I just want to say the door is not closed, but my eye is not on the door. My eye is on the work that my team has already done over summer in holding the government to account on expenses scandals, on Bondi, dragging, kicking and screaming to a Royal Commission…"
Barr interrupted: "David Littleproud says the door’s shut. He says no one in his party is willing to work with you as leader. Will you resign? Will you stand down for the good of the party?"
Ley responded: "Every step I’ve taken has been with the support of my Liberal leadership team but most importantly, my team knows that the responsibility for the Liberal Party is in the Liberal Party room, for the Nationals in the National Party room, and we don’t need to take advice about those issues."
Ley declares she will survive as Liberal leader
By Lachlan Abbott
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has defended her leadership after the Coalition’s implosion, declaring she will survive as Liberal leader while trying to avoid questions about recent political turmoil.
Ley was on Sunrise just after 7am in her first TV appearance since the Nationals blew up Australia’s dominant conservative bloc yesterday. She started by deflecting criticisms from Labor, arguing the government should focus on doing its job instead.
Host Natalie Barr, however, soon pressed Ley on her own position, asking: "Will you survive as leader?"
"Yes, I will," Ley replied.
"But I want Australians to know that what we did this week that caused the subject matter of the headlines was to work hard, to address and have the reckoning this country needs to on eradicating antisemitism and removing radical Islamic extremism."
She later added: "I’m backed by my Liberal Party and the decisions that I’ve made to date."
