The Liberals and the Nationals need each other to stay in government. But climate policy gives us an insight into just how precarious – yet effective – that coalition can be.
The Nationals have tried to link the UK energy crisis to its net-zero climate target. But as an expert advisor to the International Energy Agency tells us, the two are unrelated.
Barnaby Joyce’s pro-mining stance is at odds with the more progressive quarters of the party, and puts the Nationals in a difficult position on global carbon tariffs.
Richard Denniss, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
Among modern Liberals it’s patently heresy to ask how rushing to green light 11 proposed coal mines in the Hunter Valley helps the struggling coal industry.
Mangosuthu Buthelezi deserves better than being dismissed as an apartheid stooge. But he deserves little praise as an advocate for human rights and civil liberties.
The Nationals are demanding major changes to the government’s controversial planned new regime of higher education fees, declaring they would disadvantage regional communities and students.
A group of Nationals has won a fight to prevent the government appealing against a court judgment finding Labor’s 2011 suspension of live cattle exports to Indonesia was unlawful.
The internal chaos of the Nationals has continued into the second week of parliament. With the minor party of the Coalition deeply split, the future of the government is uncertain.
Parliament’s first week for 2020 was a hectic one, with the fallout from the ‘sports rorts’ affair requiring a Cabinet reshuffle, and Adam Bandt being elected the new leader of The Greens.
Morrison says he referred the auditor-general report to the head of his department last week to determine if McKenzie breached ministerial standards in her sports grant dispersals.