McCormack survives leadership challenge by Joyce
Michael McCormack has emerged victorious in a Nationals party room ballot, surviving a leadership challenge from Barnaby Joyce yesterday morning.
The Nationals leader said he did not expect Joyce would challenge for the party’s leadership again and hoped the pair would ‘‘move on and work hard together’’.
‘‘The fact is, I shook hands with Barnaby. We will move on,’’ McCormack said.
‘‘I don’t expect him to [challenge again]. I’ve been endorsed as leader. I was endorsed as leader when we came back here after the May election last year I was endorsed as leader when he stood down in 2018. That’s three times in less than two years,’’ he said.
‘‘I think that is enough to warrant me leading the party going forward.’’
The Deputy Prime Minister emerged from the dramatic meeting alongside Queenslander David Littleproud, who was elected deputy following the resignation of Victorian senator Bridget McKenzie.
Nationals whip Damian Drum announced the result but would not reveal the numbers each candidate received, in line with party protocols.
Several sources from within the party room suggested the final result was 11 votes to 10, just falling McCormack’s way.
‘‘Never before has there been such an important time for the National Party to continue the representation we’ve done for 100 years,’’ McCormack said.
In a message to regional voters, McCormack said, ‘‘We have your back, whether it’s drought, we have your back, whether it’s building new damn infrastructure. We have your back whether it’s dealing with the bushfires and everything else that is regional Australia.’’
McCormack said Queensland senator Matt Canavan, Joyce’s strongest supporter, would not return to Cabinet, after he quit on Monday night to support Joyce.
‘‘Matt Canavan has resigned his commission as Resources Minister, and I wish him all the best,’’ he said.
He will now have to find two new cabinet ministers to fill Senator Canavan’s and Senator McKenzie’s spots, with speculation Keith Pitt and Darren
Chester will be elevated.
He said a decision not reveal the final vote count was part of the party’s tradition. ‘‘The first time I stood for the leadership after Barnaby Joyce resigned in February 2018, George Christensen stood. I don’t know the result still of that ballot,’’ he said.
‘‘National Party votes were never revealed. The whip knows and that’s been a convention of the National Party, a party, I might say that’s been going for 100 years of secret ballots.’’
Littleproud, who supported McCormack, declared, ‘‘The shenanigans are over, it’s time to get back to looking after those people that are facing drought, that have faced up to the fires. It’s time for us to focus on them, not us.’’ – Nine