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National Party leader David Littleproud said Monday the door remains open for former deputy leader Barnaby Joyce to rejoin party deliberations, even as Joyce confirmed his departure from the parliamentary party room and spoke with One Nation leader Pauline Hanson about his political future.
“The ball’s in his court,” Littleproud told Sky News. “If he wants to be part of the party room, nothing’s changed.”
The public acknowledgment came hours after Joyce declared his time working with the Nationals in Canberra “done” and revealed a phone conversation with Hanson that lasted five to 10 minutes Sunday night. Joyce, who served twice as Australia’s deputy prime minister, remains a Nationals MP but said he won’t attend when the party room meets next week.
“I’m now, as I say, a free agent,” Joyce told Sky News. “I decided to remove the middleman and give her a call myself last night.”
Joyce faces three options: remain a Nationals member in exile, sit as an independent after tearing up his party membership, or defect to One Nation. He said Monday morning he’s in no rush to decide.
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“Leave that one up to me,” Joyce said. “I’ll make my decision in my time.”
The split centers on long-simmering tensions between Joyce and Littleproud that have bubbled for years but intensified over policy differences, particularly the party’s stance on net zero carbon emissions. Joyce has publicly opposed the 2050 net zero target that then-deputy prime minister Joyce himself signed onto under Scott Morrison’s government.
Littleproud defended the party’s deliberative process on climate policy, drawing parallels to the Nationals’ opposition to the Indigenous Voice referendum.
“We’re going to take our time and get it right, like we did with the voice, because then that makes your case to prosecute a lot easier, rather than just being a protest party yelling from outside the room,” Littleproud said. “We’ve got to be in the room.”
The Nationals leader said the party hasn’t settled its position on net zero, waiting instead for an internal process to complete before making a final determination and working with coalition partners.
“We’re waiting on the process to be complete, one that we all agreed to, that I’ve supported and made sure that they’ve been able to achieve,” Littleproud said. “And once they do, we’ll get to our determination and then we’ll work with our coalition partners to try and get to a position.”
Littleproud emphasized the party’s internal culture when asked whether he consults with Joyce on major policy decisions.
“No one in the National Party has a higher status than anyone else,” Littleproud said. “When you walk into that room, we’re all equal. That’s our culture. We’re a bit different to the other parties.”
He added that everyone has had the opportunity to contribute to the climate policy review, which includes external research on global experiences and Australia’s future positioning.
The Joyce situation compounds pressure from One Nation’s recruitment campaign targeting multiple Nationals MPs. Hanson has publicly named Joyce, Indigenous affairs spokeswoman Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and Queensland senator Colin Boyce as potential defection targets. Queensland senator Matt Canavan, also linked to One Nation in the past, ruled out a switch, saying it’s “the Nationals or bust.”
Several Nationals colleagues have urged Joyce not to abandon the party that twice elevated him to deputy prime minister. The party room next meets next week, with no expectation Joyce will attend.
Littleproud dismissed concerns that Joyce might share internal party discussions with One Nation.
“I don’t think you would ever see Barnaby Joyce do that,” Littleproud said. “I don’t think he’s that sort of bloke.”
He expressed confidence that party room discussions stay private, noting that those who leak “invariably get found out and leave.”
“I haven’t found anyone yet since I’ve been in Parliament that’s been doing that,” Littleproud said.
When pressed on whether he’s spoken with Joyce since the former leader’s public statements, Littleproud declined to discuss private conversations.
“I’m not going to get into the titillations of conversations,” Littleproud said. “We’ve just talked about respecting conversations.”
Joyce described his Sunday night call with Hanson as including “a few laughs” but refused to reveal details of their discussion.
The political drama unfolds as the Nationals work through internal policy positions ahead of the next federal election. Littleproud said upcoming policy discussions are ones Joyce “would probably want to be part of in the near future.”
The leader framed the party’s methodical approach to policy development as strategic positioning rather than internal dysfunction.
“That’s good policy. That’s good politics in the long run,” Littleproud said.
Joyce’s relationship with Littleproud has been described as “beyond repair” by the former leader, though Littleproud maintained Monday that reconciliation remains possible.
“We’ve made it clear that the offer’s there, but we’ve got to focus on the policies that we’re formulating,” Littleproud said. “We’ve got to focus on this.”
The Nationals hold 21 House of Representatives seats and six Senate seats. Joyce represents the New England electorate in northern New South Wales, which he has held since 2013 after previously serving as a Queensland senator from 2005 to 2013.
His departure from the party room represents the most significant internal fracture for the Nationals since Joyce lost the deputy leadership to Littleproud in May 2022 following the coalition’s federal election defeat.
One Nation currently holds two Senate seats and no House seats. Hanson’s recruitment push aims to expand the party’s parliamentary presence by targeting dissatisfied coalition members.
Joyce told Sky News he remains a Nationals MP “as of this morning” but offered no timeline for when he might make a final decision about his political allegiance.
The standoff puts pressure on both leaders as they navigate internal party dynamics while trying to present a united front to voters. Littleproud’s emphasis on policy development and party unity contrasts with Joyce’s public declarations of independence and his willingness to explore alternatives.
Other Nationals MPs are watching closely to see whether Joyce’s exit becomes permanent and whether it triggers additional defections. The party faces the challenge of maintaining discipline while accommodating diverse views on climate policy and other issues that divide rural and regional constituencies.
Littleproud stressed the importance of the party’s inclusive culture in managing internal disagreements.
“Everyone has that opportunity, but you’ve got to grasp that opportunity,” Littleproud said. “You’ve got to be the one that takes it, and that’s the environment we’ve created.”
The leader’s relaxed demeanor during Monday’s interview suggested confidence that the party can weather Joyce’s departure, though the long-term implications for coalition unity remain unclear.
Joyce’s political future now hangs on whether he values party membership over policy independence and whether One Nation presents an attractive alternative for advancing his political agenda.
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