Breaking: NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro has caved and will not lead his MPs to the crossbench, in a move that will keep the coalition intact but will leave his leadership untenable. Follow our live coverage:
The coalition dispute over koala protection laws boiled over on Thursday with Nationals leader John Barilaro threatening to take his party to the crossbench, but the fight had been brewing for months.
Disputes over the impact of the policy had begun heating up by May when the government released the draft guidelines and the changes the Nationals wanted had not been made. “It’s not about koalas. It’s about the Nats feeling like they’ve always had to kowtow to the Libs. This time they didn’t want to do that,” a Nationals source said.
The Nationals are meeting on Friday morning to work out a response to Ms Berejiklian’s ultimatum, with questions now swirling around the viability of Mr Barilaro’s leadership.Treasurer Dominic Perrottet has said Premier Gladys Berejiklian was "100 per cent right" to issue an ultimatum for Nationals ministers to decide if they will sit on the crossbench or in cabinet, adding that he hopes "commonsense prevails" at the party room meeting currently under way.
"My understanding and expectation from the Premier is that is exactly what will happen – there are processes in place," he said.
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