Australia’s opposition coalition collapses over hate speech law
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Liberal Party leader Sussan Ley had urged the National Party's leader not to walk away from the alliance that has governed Australia for almost two-thirds of the period since World War II.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SYDNEY – Australia’s opposition coalition has collapsed following a dispute over support for the Labor government’s crackdown on hate speech, deepening the malaise of the two centre-right parties following an election thrashing in 2025.
The opposition coalition has become “untenable” and “can no longer continue”, National Party leader David Littleproud told reporters in Brisbane on Jan 22.
The split follows a dispute with the senior Liberal Party over a just-passed anti-hate speech law
In a statement late on Jan 21, Ms Sussan Ley, the leader of the Liberal Party, said she had urged Mr Littleproud not to walk away from the alliance that has governed Australia for almost two-thirds of the period since World War II.
But Mr Littleproud rejected her request, saying on Jan 22 that the Nationals “cannot be part of a shadow ministry under Sussan Ley”, adding that he had already informed the Liberal leader of his decision.
The break-up is the second in less than a year following a short-lived dissolution in May 2025 after the centre-right was heavily defeated in an election that month.
As a result, the two parties now hold less than one-third of the Lower House of Parliament’s 150 seats.
The coalition has historically aimed to represent the whole country, with the bigger Liberal Party geared to metropolitan areas where the vast majority of Australians live and the National Party focused on rural and regional seats.
However, like much of the developed world, Australia is seeing growing support for hard-right populist parties, with the One Nation party threatening to erode the National Party’s constituency.
Still, a coalition is essential for the centre-right to win office.
The one time they ran separately in 1987 they lost the election, and the decision to campaign independently was cited as a key reason for the defeat.
At that time, the Nationals were also being threatened by a new right-wing party.
Since May’s election defeat, the Liberal and National parties have struggled to reconnect with voters.
The coalition’s popularity dropped below that of the One Nation party in a poll released this week
