Senior Liberals have rubbished claims by Barnaby Joyce that he has discussed One Nation offering the Coalition a pathway to minority government after the next election, accusing him of buyers remorse after defecting from the Nationals. Joyce, who defected to join Pauline Hanson’s party in December, claimed on Tuesday night he had held talks with senior Liberals about a potential deal for supply and confidence to oust Anthony Albanese from power. Hanson has appealed to the Coalition and opposition leader Angus Taylor to unite against Labor ahead of the 2028 election.
Joyce would not say which Liberals he had spoken to about confidence and supply, refusing to answer if the discussions had been with Taylor, or shadow ministers including Matt Canavan, the Nationals leader. One Nation has ruled out a formal coalition agreement with the Liberals and Nationals, while Taylor has left open the possibility of governing in minority with a guarantee from One Nation that it would not vote against government bills. Liberals including the South Australian power broker Alex Antic have urged colleagues to work closely with Hanson.
But Joyce’s claim fell flat with Liberal MPs on Wednesday. The deputy leader, Jane Hume, was dismissive of Joyce, telling News24 the former National was “clutching at straws” and adding she did not know who the discussions were with. The shadow treasurer, Tim Wilson, said the talks were a “figment of Barnaby’s imagination”.
He broke that promise to his electorate. He said he’d support his leader. He said he’d support his party.
He broke that promise.” Joyce hit back, calling Wilson “a clown”.
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