00:00Well, already Nationals leader, David Little...
00:05..was having to figure out how to get his party back on track
00:08before Parliament resumes next week.
00:10And now he's facing a leadership spill motion
00:13from one of his colleagues.
00:15Queensland MP and backbencher Colin Boyce.
00:18Mr Boyce surprised...
00:20..many of his colleagues yesterday
00:21when he announced on live television
00:22that he would be making a play...
00:25..to become the next leader of the National Party.
00:27Mr Boyce says that this decision was...
00:30..motivated by his desire to reunite the coalition
00:32after the Nationals walked away...
00:35..from the Liberal Party
00:36due to a dispute over Labor's hate speech laws.
00:40Mr Boyce says that the only way forward is...
00:43..the only way to reform the coalition...
00:45..and move forward is if the Nationals pick a new leader.
00:48Take a listen.
00:50Mr Littleproud has overseen the blowing up of the coal...
00:55..the coalition agreement twice now.
00:57I think that position is now untenable
00:59because the...
01:00..the Liberal Party are in a position
01:02where they don't want to do deals with...
01:05..David Littleproud, for fear of him doing it again.
01:08Now, Mr Boyce has also moved...
01:10..to downplay any suggestions
01:11that he might defect to One Nation
01:13if his leadership...
01:15..is unsuccessful.
01:16He says he's got no interest
01:18of leaving the Nationals anytime...
01:20..but he didn't rule out one day sitting as an independent.
01:25Meanwhile, David Littleproud's fractured relationship
01:27with Susan Lee has not shown...
01:30..any real signs of improving.
01:32Earlier this week, Liberal leader Susan Lee...
01:35..wrote a letter to David Littleproud
01:36saying that they should have a meeting
01:38with other senior parties...
01:40..to officials as a matter of urgency
01:41ahead of parliament sitting this week...
01:43..next week, rather.
01:45However, she said that she had received a response
01:47and she'd advised her Liberal shadow...
01:50..in the Ministry that Mr Littleproud
01:51had rejected that invitation
01:53saying that he was...
01:55..is now focused on the Liberal...
01:57..on the leadership spill on Monday.
02:00Of course, Susan Lee's leadership has been undermined
02:02as a result of this coalition split...
02:05..which has given way to speculation
02:06that Angus Taylor or Andrew Hastie
02:08are going to make a play for her.
02:10But the deputy Liberal leader, Ted O'Brien,
02:13spoke to the ABC earlier...
02:15..and he moved to downplay any concerns
02:17of an imminent Liberal leadership spill.
02:20..and here he is.
02:21I haven't spoken to any colleague
02:23who believes that Susan didn't...
02:25..and make the right cause last week.
02:27She demonstrated enormous strength and dignity.
02:30..in a very difficult situation with the National Party.
02:33To answer the latter part...
02:35..uh, Susan absolutely has my support.
02:37She was elected leader.
02:38I believe she's doing a good...
02:40..and I'll continue to support her.
02:42Now, this has all been a very welcome...
02:45..distraction for the Albanese government,
02:47which is now grappling higher than expected in...
02:50..and inflation figures
02:50ahead of the Reserve Bank meeting next week.
02:53And, of course, these figures...
02:55..mean that an interest rate hike
02:56is looking more likely,
02:58which means more pain for...
03:00..homeowners with a mortgage
03:00and Australians doing it tough
03:02with the cost of living.
03:05.
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