The Coalition breakup gets messy as infighting and leaking begins
We all know a couple who part ways, and suddenly both people have totally different stories about why.
Archie Milligan
May 22, 2025
Maybe one ate anchovies all the time. Or there was a common dispute around who did the cooking, who looked after the kids, or who paid for what.
When my parents split, my dad said it was because they “disagreed on cooking inside.”
I’m still not sure what that really means.
Well, now the same thing is happening with the Liberals and Nationals.
(Except this time, no one’s fighting for custody of 12-year-old me.)
The fragmented pieces of the Coalition are being poured over and analysed by the media, legacy politicians, and every punter with an opinion in the comments section.
It begs the question: where are the adults?
📜 A bit of context
After each federal election, the Liberals and Nationals usually do something like a vow renewal — renegotiating their political marriage.
This means figuring out policy priorities and who controls what portfolios (like Defence or Energy)
That leadership team is called the shadow cabinet.
🧾 Littleproud’s list
On Tuesday, Nationals leader David Littleproud called a press conference and announced his party would not be re-entering a Coalition agreement with the Liberal Party.
He said there were four reasons:
Nuclear energy
A Regional Future Fund
Phone service connectivity
Powers to break up the supermarkets
📺 Then came 7:30
On Wednesday night, Nationals Senator Bridget Mackenzie went on the ABC’s 7:30.
Mackenzie was asked if - alongside those four points mentioned – decisions had also been made about whether members of the Shadow Cabinet would be allowed to publicly disagree on policy?
🗣️"It was solely on those four policies."
📱 Surprise texts!
Sussan Ley’s office texted 7:30 host, Sarah Ferguson, during the program.
They accused Mackenzie of not speaking accurately — and claimed to have receipts.
“It is not correct to suggest shadow cabinet solidarity was not a sticking point. We have it in writing that it was a requirement from their leader's office to ours.”
They doubled down with a follow-up text:
“Her language was deliberate… That is just not correct.”
🧍🏼♀️Mackenzie’s response?
She’s holding firm.
Later that night, in a statement, she told the program their partyroom decision wasn’t about shadow cabinet rules — it was all about those four policy areas.
☢️ What this really means
It seems the Nats are clinging hard to their nuclear dreams – at least for now.
Some have argued the split is a move to undermine Liberal Party leader Sussan Ley, who many speculate will try to pull the Libs toward the centre.
Worth noting:
Ley only won leadership by a hair 29 - 25 votes against Angus Taylor in mid May.
A few senators are leaving soon - like Hollie Hughes and Anne Ruston after being ousted from the caucus. When they were removed from the top spot of their respective senate tickets. Replaced by Andrew Bragg and Alex Antic respectively.
That could open the door to challengers like Angus Taylor or Andrew Hastie.
💔 Can’t live with ’em, can’t win without ’em
The Libs and Nats both know: alone, they’re stuck in opposition. As neither party has enough seats to form a government.
But the longer this separation lasts, the harder it is to reconcile as the parties adopt different policy standings, promote shadow ministers in the same portfolios and become more independent from one another.
Their separation only emboldens the Labor party, as they get to compete with a weaker opposition in the house of representatives. A place where there is quite literally strength in numbers.
And like any bad breakup – especially from an 80 year relationship — It reeks of toxic co-dependency.