The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, has urged Barnaby Joyce stay in the party after the maverick MP announced his intention to quit and consider “all options” – prompting speculation of a possible defection to Pauline Hanson’s One Nation.
The former deputy prime minister announced on Saturday he would not stand for his New South Wales seat of New England at the next election. He cited an irreparably broken relationship with the Nationals’ leadership, but would see out the rest of the parliamentary term.
The move has prompted speculation Joyce could make a late-career party switch and run for One Nation in the Senate at the next federal election.
Littleproud said Joyce still had a critical role to play within the party and urged him to stay inside the Coalition.
“We want him to stay in the National party. I think he has a contribution to make between now and when he retires,” Littleproud told Nine’s Today program on Sunday.
“So obviously we all will be talking to Barnaby. We want to make sure that his contribution is a valued one within our party room, as everybody is.”
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The Nationals leader said Joyce had not tendered his resignation from the party.
Joyce has said his relationship with the junior Coalition party had broken down, following the last election when he was demoted to the backbench.
“I am free to now consider all options as to what I do next,” Joyce said in a letter to branch members.
“The atmospherics in the party room, where I am seated in the far corner of the Coalition in the chamber, means I am seen and now turning into a discordant note.
“That is not who I want to be.”
He said the debate surrounding net zero emissions, which he has called for the Coalition to dump, has been a sticking point.
Littleproud on Sunday said he was looking to speak to Joyce for contributions on policy.
“I’ll be reaching out and having a conversation and making sure he understands that he, along with the rest of us, will play a very important role in shaping the Coalition and helping the Coalition rebuild,” Littleproud said.
“We’ve got to make sure that we’re not just a party of protests, we’re a party that can govern and say to the Australian people, there’s an alternative way to address climate change.”
Ahead of a party event in Tamworth on Saturday, Hanson – who said she had no plans to meet Joyce while in the electorate – said she would welcome him to her party.
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“I would, no problems. And I made it quite clear last year, I was talking to Barnaby about it,” Hanson said.
“We’re on the same page. Barnaby is actually more aligned with One Nation than what he is with the National party. He’s been shut down in the National party. They put him on the backbench, out of the way.”
Liberal frontbencher Jonathon Duniam said a move to another political party during the current term would be disingenuous.
“I don’t think if he had an intention to defect to another party that he should sit as a Nat in parliament, or at least in the same party room as the National party. I think that would be unworkable,” he told Sky News.
“Moving to One Nation, while he might be able to continue his time in parliament, would be one thing. I think it’s important to respect those who run you to the dance, and in this case, it was the Nats.”
The education minister, Jason Clare, said he wished Joyce well if the statement was an indication of his impending retirement from politics.
“Not just the National party, but the Liberal party too, are in a world of pain here at the moment,” he told Sky News.
“They need to work out whether they want to be Howard or Hanson, they’ll eventually work this out, they always do that.”
– Australian Associated Press contributed to this report
