Coalition council of elders mooted amid calls for Howard to enter the fray
The Liberals and Nationals are locked in a tense stand off after their ugly break up, with a crucial deadline looming for the former allies.
Former prime minister John Howard is being discussed in conservative circles as a potential mediator for the Liberal-National split, which threatens to become more permanent if a compromise canât be reached soon.
MPs from the former coalition are hoping a team of elders from both parties could help break the deadlock and avoid a permanent divorce.
Howard, fellow former prime minister Tony Abbott and former Nationals leader John Anderson are among the names being floated.
Liberal frontbencher Melissa McIntosh, who worked for Howard when he was prime minister, said he would be welcome to step in.
âThereâs no better person than Mr Howard in bringing the broad church back together, bringing the congregation⌠back together,â she told reporters in Canberra on Monday morning.
McIntosh said the former prime minister would help the parties shift focus after weeks of ugly political infighting.
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Opposition Leader Sussan Ley was expecting to receive a counter-offer from the regional party on Friday morning.
If a compromise isnât struck by Monday, Ley has indicated she will appoint Liberals to fill the front bench roles.
The break up was triggered by a disagreement between the two allies over hate crimes laws, which saw three Nationals senators offer to quit from the frontbench for voting against their Liberal colleagues.
When the trioâs resignations were accepted, the remaining Nationals frontbenchers staged a mass walkout.
Ley wants the three senators to be suspended from the frontbench for breaking shadow cabinet solidarity â a move which the Nationals appear unwilling to accept.
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But if negotiations with the Nationals go south, sheâs expected to announce her new shadow ministry before then â potentially on Sunday â a move which would cement the coalition split and deepen animosity between the two former partners.
Some Liberals and Nationals believe their parties can go it alone, but others believe the parties will only be successful if they can restore the coalition partnership.
Liberal senator Jane Hume said her party would always be stronger with the Nationals, but shouldnât compromise on its own values.
âWe need to start building our policy agenda based on our own partyâs values and our own priorities,â she told reporters in Canberra.
âThe Nationals are better when theyâre Nationals. Liberals are better when theyâre Liberals. But weâre stronger when weâre together,â Senator Hume said.
But Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie argued her colleagues could be successful without their long-term ally.
âThe National Party has been a party of government in Canberra for over a century, long before the Liberal party arrived on the scene,â she told reporters at Parliament House.
âWeâve done it before, we can do it again,â McKenzie said.
-with AAP
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