1m agoWed 28 Jan 2026 at 9:18pm
Deputy Nationals leader defends David Littleproud’s leadership
Deputy Nationals Leader Kevin Hogan has defended David Littleproud’s leadership, saying he has acted with the support of the party room.
Last week, the National frontbenchers broke with official Coalition policy and voted against Labor’s hate laws in the Senate.
Speaking to ABC Radio National Breakfast, Hogan says Littleproud hasn’t “run off and done anything” without the support of colleagues.
“David Littleproud has never run off and done anything unless he has had the complete support of the Nationals Party room. So because of that, that changes the whole perception of us with David and what he’s doing,” Hogan says.
He says both the decision to oppose the hate bill and split from the Coalition had the support of the party room.
The deputy leader says the Liberal and National party’s primary opponent is Labor.
21m agoWed 28 Jan 2026 at 8:58pm
Boyce says he won’t join One Nation due to difficulty of winning lower house seat
So if Colin Boyce isn’t canvassing support from National Party colleagues, is he helping someone else replace David Littleproud?
The Nationals MP says he’s not aware of anybody else intending to run for the party leadership.
“I will move this motion and it’s up to my colleagues to decide whether they think that they’re a better proposition for the leader of the National Party,” Boyce says.
Boyce says defecting to One Nation is “not an option” simply because it will be difficult for him to win a lower house seat under the minor party’s banner.
“… Both Pauline Hanson and Barnaby Joyce, why don’t they run for lower house seats? And I can answer that for you because it’s a lot easier to win a Senate position,” he says.
27m agoWed 28 Jan 2026 at 8:52pmColin Boyce says Nationals risk ‘political oblivion’ outside of Coalition
Nationals MP Colin Boyce, who says he’ll challenge David Littleproud for the leadership, has called into ABC Radio National Breakfast.
Asked why he’s challenging Littleproud, Boyce says the National Party is on the road to “political oblivion” by remaining outside of the Coalition.
But Boyce says he isn’t canvassing support from other party colleagues.
He says he wants to see the Coalition back together.
“It seems to me that under Mr Littleproud’s leadership, to blow the Coalition up twice now since the last federal election, that is not a position that I want to be in,” Boyce says.
“The only way forward is to pick a new leader and go to the Liberal Party and reform the Coalition,” he says.
34m agoWed 28 Jan 2026 at 8:46pmPaterson says Sussan Ley enjoys support of majority of Liberals
James Paterson says Sussan Ley continues to enjoy the majority of support in the Liberal party room.
“I can’t predict what all of my colleagues may or may not do, but I can say that in my assessment, Sussan continues to enjoy the support of the majority of the party room,” Paterson says.
Speaking to ABC Radio National Breakfast, the shadow finance minister says he wouldn’t be sitting on the frontbench if he didn’t support the Liberal leader.
He says it would be appropriate to announce shadow ministers in an acting capacity before parliament resumes.
“I also have the view that we should keep the door open to reforming with the National Party in due course,” Paterson says.
“And I note that David Littleproud has not yet appointed any spokesman for those areas as well.”
The shadow minister says he wants the Coalition to come back together.
But he says that would have to be on an “agreed and shared understanding” of shadow cabinet solidarity.
He says Labor remains the party’s key opponent.
41m agoWed 28 Jan 2026 at 8:38pm
Shadow finance minister says Chalmers needs to take responsibility for rising inflation
Shadow Finance Minister James Paterson says the federal government should reduce public spending to rein in inflation.
Australia’s inflation rate rose to 3.8 per cent in the 12 months to December 2025, which is higher than expected.
Speaking to ABC Radio National Breakfast, Paterson says Treasurer Jim Chalmers needs to take responsibility for rising inflation.
“He took credit for interest rates falling and he’s going to have to take responsibility if they start to rise,” Paterson says.
“Many respected independent economists are calling out the way in which reckless government spending is contributing to it.”
57m agoWed 28 Jan 2026 at 8:23pm
Ted O’Brien says Libs and Nats will reunite ‘at the right time’
Shadow Treasurer Ted O’Brien has stepped up to speak on ABC News Breakfast where he’s been questioned about leadership speculation in Liberal Party.
The shadow treasurer says he doesn’t think there will be a leadership spill against Sussan Ley when parliament returns next week.
“I haven’t spoken to any colleague who believes Sussan didn’t make the right calls last week. She demonstrated enormous strength and dignity with a difficult position with the National Party,” O’Brien says.
“Sussan absolutely has my support. She was elected leader. I believe she’s doing a good job and I’ll continue to support her.”
O’Brien says he is disappointed there was a split in the Coalition last week when the Nationals voted against official Coalition policy on the government’s hate laws in the Senate.
He says he believes a reunion between the Liberals and Nationals will happen at “some point” and “at the right time”.
1h agoWed 28 Jan 2026 at 8:15pmCanavan says Colin Boyce is attempting to reunite Coalition
Nationals senator Matt Canavan says he won’t be supporting Colin Boyce’s tilt a the Nationals leadership next week.
Boyce announced on Sky News yesterday that he would spill the leadership when parliament returned next week.
Speaking to Sky News this morning, Canavan says Boyce’s decision to spill the leadership came “out of the blue”.
The Queensland senator says he thinks Boyce is undertaking a “genuine attempt” to rebuild the Coalition.
“It’s not something I’ll support because I’m very proud of the Nationals party and how we stood up for people’s rights last week,” Canavan says.
“We did so in a way which put our own jobs, careers at risk, not myself, but my colleagues.”
Asked how he could support Littleproud if Boyce left the party, Canavan said that was up to the party room to decide.
“The buck stops obviously with a leader, so I hope David can keep everybody together,” he says.
1h agoWed 28 Jan 2026 at 8:12pmLittleproud says it would be ‘inaccurate’ to say he rejected meeting with Ley
David Littleproud has pushed back on reports he rejected a meeting with Sussan Ley yesterday.
On Wednesday, the opposition leader told shadow ministers she sent a letter to Littleproud seeking a meeting “without any preconditions”, following the Coalition breakup.
But Ley said Littleproud declined the meeting because a spill motion was pending.
“We will talk to whoever the Nationals elect as their leader, because whether we are in a Coalition or not, it is our responsibility to hold the Albanese government to account,” Ley said in the letter.
In a statement released last night, Littleproud said it would be “inaccurate” to suggest the Nationals rejected a meeting request after a spill motion was called.
He said that once the spill motion was resolved next week, a meeting time would be scheduled.
“It would be inaccurate to suggest that the Nationals rebuffed a meeting request by the Liberal Party to meet within the ensuing 48 hours,” Littleproud said.
“The opposition leader’s office was advised that once the spill motion is determined in our party room meeting, a time will be scheduled,” he said.
1h agoWed 28 Jan 2026 at 8:03pm
Good morning 👋
Hello all and welcome to another federal politics live blog! It’s great to have you here as always.
I’m Josh Boscaini coming to your live from Parliament House in Canberra, here and ready to bring you all of today’s federal politics news.
The Liberal Party’s leadership woes seem to have moved to the Nationals after MP Colin Boyce announced live on TV yesterday that he’d be moving a spill motion against his party leader, David Littleproud, on Monday.
You can expect to hear more about that today, with Boyce set to speak to ABC Radio National Breakfast this morning.
Meanwhile, the prime minister is wrapping up a tour of Timor-Leste after addressing the nation’s parliament yesterday.
Let’s buckle in and let’s see what today has for us!
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