National Party Leaves Coalition, Exposing Liberal Party Divisions

The conservative coalition of the Liberal Party and National Party has recently fallen into turmoil due to policy and discipline disagreements, triggering a leadership and cooperation crisis.

The immediate trigger was a vote on the Hate Speech Bill. In the coalition shadow cabinet, three National Party senators opposed the Liberal Party’s position, leading to their removal from the shadow cabinet by Susan Ley. National Party leader David Littleproud subsequently declared the coalition “unsustainable.” Following the resignations, the National Party announced it was leaving the coalition, marking the second major split in less than a year.

The National Party’s departure has also tested leadership stability within the Liberal Party. Despite rumors of challenges from conservative figures such as Angus Taylor and Andrew Hastie, Susan Ley and her supporters insist no formal leadership challenge is underway, dismissing the rumors as “hype.” Moderate factions within the party have publicly expressed support for Ley, praising her responsibility and stability in handling the situation.

The coalition’s split weakens the opposition’s competitiveness in upcoming elections, increases uncertainty among centrist voters, and creates opportunities for other parties, particularly right-wing forces such as One Nation, to gain support. Recent polls show the coalition’s support at historic lows, while One Nation’s support has risen.

Currently, under Susan Ley, the Liberal Party is working to reorganize, including possibly forming a shadow cabinet composed solely of Liberal Party members ahead of the February parliamentary session, signaling a move toward defining its political direction without National Party cooperation. Whether the coalition can be rebuilt remains uncertain, but this internal split marks a major turning point in Australia’s center-right politics.