Have Your Say

 TRANSCRIPT: SKY NEWS SHARRI (WITH PRESENTER CALEB BOND) 20 MAY 2025 

31 March 2026

Subjects: Coalition break-up 

E&OE 

STARTS: 8:30pm 

ENDS: 8:36pm 

 

CALEB BOND 

Alright, let’s return to the biggest break-up in Australia at the moment, the Coalition break-up, of course. With me now, hopefully to provide some insider information is Nationals’ MP, Michael McCormack. Michael, thank you for joining me.  

 

MICAHEL McCORMACK 

You’re welcome, Caleb. 

 

CALEB BOND 

I explained at the top of the show that I think this could ultimately be the best thing for the Coalition. Did you back this split? 

 

MICAHEL McCORMACK 

Well, I’m a Coalitionist first and foremost, and the situation is that the party room has taken a decision based on what we believe is the right path for us and the Liberals to take. We put several propositions to the Liberal Party — universal service obligation, so more mobile coverage, more towers, divestiture powers, cheaper groceries, nuclear, more affordable, reliable energy, and the Regional Australia Future Fund, which meant more infrastructure for country areas. But the Liberal Party, through Sussan Ley didn’t want to sign off on those immediately. They were die-in-the-ditch issues for The Nationals, so we’ve decided to take this break, hopefully only temporary. But we’ll work through it. I know that David Littleproud went to the Liberals in good faith and I know that Sussan Ley as well, also listened. The fact that we haven’t been able to broker an arrangement and agreement this time, doesn’t mean to say that we can’t get back together and continue the Coalition in the future. 

 

CALEB BOND 

And you call it a break, but if these die-in-the-ditch issues and the Liberal Party doesn’t come to the table, does the break become a full-blown break-up? 

 

MICAHEL McCORMACK 

Well, time will tell, but I’d like to think that we can get back together. John Howard always said that the Australian nation is best served when we’ve got a Coalition, Liberal and Nationals, in government united together. We’ve very much taken that sort of conciliatory and pragmatic approach to the Liberal Party. Just remembering we won all of our 15 Lower House seats in the recent election, we transitioned three seats, Parkes, Lyne and, indeed, Hinkler in Queensland, and we retained the other the other 12 seats which were incumbents were running in. The Liberal Party did not do so well and we’ve now, under four leaders, six elections in a row, retained each and every one of our House of Representatives seats. Other parties could learn a thing or three from The Nationals, and the way we represent our people, the way we turn up, the way we take the people’s voices to Canberra and we, at the moment, will be taking a bit of a temporary break and we’ll see what happens. 

 

CALEB BOND 

I don’t disagree with those points. I suppose the other thing though is putting aside the policy requests that were put to the Liberal Party, the idea of not having Cabinet solidarity, do you think that was reasonable? 

 

MICAHEL McCORMACK 

Well, I’ve crossed the floor and moved a disallowance motion on the Murray Darling Basin and I know how you get sent to Coventry for doing that. In a Shadow Cabinet or a Cabinet, you’ve got to maintain that imprimatur of the room, I understand that, but on some of these issues, I well remember the wheat arrangement where the Australian wheat marketing was ripped asunder when the Liberals sided with Labor, the Liberals in opposition back in 2008, I believe it was. You know The Nationals were given the right to veto that. And I think it was the wrong move to make at the time and we’re still seeing the effects of that. But look, if you cross the floor or if you don’t agree with Labor Party policy, you get expelled from the party. At least that’s not the case in The Nationals, or indeed the Liberals. You can have different policy positions, but as a Minister or a Shadow Minister, you are expected to essentially go with what the majority in the room goes with. 

 

CALEB BOND 

Just very quickly before we go, Michael, in the event that you don’t get back together, how will we ever end up with a Conservative government in this country again?  

 

MICAHEL McCORMACK 

Oh, look we will end up with a Conservative government again. It’s this Labor Government through the unrealised capital gains, through what they’ve done with the cost of living, through ignoring the needs of regional Australia where we grow all our food and fibre and all the resources to help keep the lights on. They will be so bad over the next three years. If you thought they were bad in the first three years, the first term, you ain’t seen nothing yet and I think what’s best for Australia will be that the Liberals and Nationals will get together. We’ll reach an agreement eventually and we’ll get back together and hopefully in 2028 we can show that we are a credible Opposition, and we can return to government. 

 

CALEB BOND 

Well, as I said earlier, I think if it pulls, the Liberal Party that is, in the right direction, it will have been worth it. Michael McCormack, thank you for your time. So, we’ve heard what Michael thought there and his reasons for The Nationals leaving the Liberals. 

 

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