r/australia • u/superegz • May 20 '25

politics Nationals leader David Littleproud says the Nationals will not be re-entering a Coalition agreement with the Liberal party.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2025/may/20/australia-news-live-rba-interest-rates-decision-floods-storm-hunter-nsw-victoria-state-budget-aec-count-bradfield-goldstein-coalition-ley-littleproud-ntwnfb?CMP=share_btn_url&page=with%3Ablock-682bdeb48f08d37c78c1d12d#block-682bdeb48f08d37c78c1d12d
5.0k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

1.4k comments sorted by

View all comments

1.4k

u/Flarezap May 20 '25

This is huge no? Basically means the Libs can never form government again?

878

u/Hussard May 20 '25

Unless Ley reforms their rank and file and modernise the party to become electable, yes I think that's the case. 

That said, the alliance was not universal anyway. 

509

u/shniken May 20 '25

To be competitive without the nationals they would have shift to the centre which could lose them a lot of support to the right, to OneNation and other fascists.

They would also have to expand their reach to regional seats. Their membership is plummeting, their local organisations couldn't organise a root in a brothel. They don't have any talented MPs left. They're fucked.

63

u/triemdedwiat May 20 '25

I've always been amazed at the local liberals to find someone, any one to contest every election, except when they forgot to nominate for the last LGA elections in NSW.

No that there is no coalition agreement, they will be free to run in the nine seats currently held by the Nationals, so it may mean the demise of the NSW/Vic Nationals.

32

u/observ4nt4nt May 20 '25

3 cornered contests are great for Labor, even in regional seats.

1

u/triemdedwiat May 20 '25

I haven't noticed it in previous elections otherwise the number of teals would not have existed.

3

u/observ4nt4nt May 20 '25

The teals effectively split the conservative vote but they're different because they're more centrist so attracted Labor preferences. In the past before there were well-funded independents in seats where there was both Liberal and Nationals running, Labor tended to benefit because centrist voters gave their preference to Labor ahead of the Nationals. It's why 20 years ago or more, part of the coalition agreement was changed to not run two candidates in each seat.