Monash University Media Release
Speaking on the split between the Liberals and Nationals Dr Zareh Ghazarian, Head of Politics and International Relations Discipline, Monash School of Social Sciences says that:
“In effect, the dissolution of the coalition agreement is going to potentially liberate both the Liberal and National parties, for the time being, to get their policy settings in order. Obviously this is a really significant point in time for the future of the Liberal Party. To examine the decision we need to be looking at how the parties performed at the election. The Nationals held ground generally, while the Liberals went backwards. So the Nationals are probably feeling a bit emboldened that they have got the constituency behind them. The Liberals, on the other hand, are really struggling, so this will give them some time to recalibrate as they move towards the future.
“The Liberals and Nationals have always been separate parties who have worked cooperatively together, and we have seen cases at a state level where coalition agreements have been dissolved. But we also see perennially that the question comes up on whether these parties should formally merge, and we’ve seen that happen with the LNP in Queensland, so it will be interesting to see how the new arrangement plays out in practice. What we do know is that the Liberals will continue to be recognised as the official Opposition, as the party with the second highest representation, and there are funding and shadow Cabinet entitlements that come with that.
“There is a fundamental difference over policy at the moment, with the Liberal Party having conservative elements and socially progressive elements. How they reconcile the difference between the conservatives and progressives is part of the problem for them to face going forward. There is a road map they could follow in the Howard Government, which included both conservatives and progressives in Cabinet. In terms of policy, it’s not either-or – it can be a combination. But what the party needs to do is also have an ear to the ground and a clear sense of what is palatable to the electorate. Ultimately, the way this next phase of the party progresses will be up to the craft of the leader and how she can pull it off.”
Dear reader, we need your support
Independent sites such as The AIMN provide a platform for public interest journalists. From its humble beginning in January 2013, The AIMN has grown into one of the most trusted and popular independent media organisations.
One of the reasons we have succeeded has been due to the support we receive from our readers through their financial contributions.
With increasing costs to maintain The AIMN, we need this continued support.
Your donation – large or small – to help with the running costs of this site will be greatly appreciated.
You can donate through PayPal or credit card via the button below, or donate via bank transfer: BSB: 062500; A/c no: 10495969
It has always been anomalous to have a coalition whilst in opposition: there’s no point!
Normally a party will form a coalition with another group to gain the numbers to govern as no doubt these clowns will do should they ever again achieve the numbers to form a majority.
The question now is, will the Queensland LNP de-merge or does anybody really care ?
Neither the Liberal Party nor the National Party can win a Federal Election in their own right. That suggests to me that neither can obtain a mandate from the electorate for government therefore a coalition is just a confabulation to obtain power by any means. The coalition is always dominated by the Liberals (“born to rule”) thus, the National Party invariably must negotiate it’s position often at the expense of strongly held philosophies that reflect the aspirations of the rural electors.
The country party can now go more country, or bovine, simian, nematode, barnabarian, whatever, with its toy poodly leader, who can now devote more time to completing colouring in essential books…while the liberal “leader” can again follow donor driven greedery. Time will tell.., or smell.., oh hell.
Someone forgot to put the cork back in the giant jar of formaldahyde: Caterpillar eyebrows has escaped.
https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/john-howard-pleads-for-coalition-to-work-overtime-to-reverse-split/news-story/186cfef3a5c77092b4cad55753028fbf
After winning a stoush with Coal-Man Canavan, Little-to-be-proud-of had to prove his savvy as a big-chester for rurals. He dashed off to see Sussan, who dashed off to her Party room, and then dashed back to Dave ‘Gog Magog’ Little-to-be-proud-of. They worked a guile that would have Machiavelli slapping his forehead. A guile that they could stitch a yarn around as to their respective resolves to ‘do the right thing’ by their Parties and constituents, and in Suss’s case the whole of Oz.
The jabbering flim-flam was breath-taking in its shallowness. With only the Liberals able to form an ‘opposition’ ministry alone, there was nowhere to go, so it was ‘Gog Magog’ that’d have to shut the gates, with 4 reasons drummed up as the cause (despite them already being agreed by both Party rooms and pursued during the election):
nuclear energy,
break-up powers for supermarkets and hardware stores,
a $20bn regional Australia future fund, and
the so-called universal service obligation to ensure reliable phone and internet access in the bush.
Ha ha ha haaar, all dead certs to be pushed by both Parties in either’s quest against Labor. Two of them insignificant, and two with Buckley’s chance, and all that Labor has already covered off.
Both Parties are sure to give themselves accolades of toughness and resolve when they come back together as a coalition. It’s rumored they’ve already prepared a palimpsest and bought new dip-in pens for the occasion of the signing.
It’s concerning that the three major Telcos of this country, driven by profit, can in effect abandon the communication needs of a portion of the Australian population on the grounds of remoteness of access and limited numbers per reception areas.
Having lived in both South Korea and China, I know it as a fact that every part of both of those countries have secure telephone and internet connections; Korea’s long recognized as world’s best practice in speed and efficiency.
Yet here we are, 2025, and large parts of the country are in the boondocks. The shutdown of the 3G network knocked hundreds of people offline, including my mate Mal who lives west of Dorrigo. He now has no phone reception. Telstra told him to upgrade his phone. He did. And still has no phone reception. People get pretty sick of being taken for fools and treated like idiots by millennials working in Telco stores who don’t know their arses from overripe apples. And government of all stripes fail in their reluctance to mandate efficient internet and phone connectivity for all citizens.
Confusingly, all media is reporting this break up as TWO parties going their own way.
The COALition is a grouping of at least FOUR parties – Lieberal Party, National Party, LNP Queensland & CLP Northern Territory.
In the same vein, two party preferred poll numbers that are quoted everywhere are mis-labelled. One “party” (ALP) consists of one party, and the other “party” consists of at least four parties.
It would be refreshing for Australian media to become aware of the facts.