The Coalition has fractured for a second occasion since last year’s federal election, following Nationals Leader David Littleproud’s declaration that the alliance with the Liberal Party has become “untenable.”

The Nationals’ entire frontbench, spearheaded by Littleproud, resigned in protest after three of their senators were removed from the shadow ministry. This action followed their decision to vote against the government’s hate speech legislation, contrary to the shadow cabinet’s agreement to support it.

This morning, Littleproud confirmed the Coalition’s split after Opposition Leader Sussan Ley declined to reinstate the ousted senators.

“The National Party is an independent entity,” Littleproud asserted. “Sussan Ley cannot dictate our voting decisions, especially when we have not violated any Coalition process or procedure.”

“This is not the outcome the National Party desires, but I refuse to stand by while three brave senators, who risked their positions without legitimate cause, are treated with disrespect,” he added.

“If these three senators could not be accepted, then our Coalition has become untenable.”

It is the second time the Coalition has split in the space of a year, after the Nationals and Liberals briefly separated after their historic loss in last year’s federal election.

One of those three dumped senators, Senate leader Bridget McKenzie, defended her opposition to the hate speech laws, insisting the reforms needed further investigation through a short Senate inquiry.

“This was a very difficult decision for our room,” she said. 

“To say that somehow we should have folded on this legislation and against our principles, I think, is sending the wrong message.”

Yesterday, Ley accepted the resignations of McKenzie and fellow frontbenchers Ross Cadell and Susan McDonald after they broke ranks to vote against the hate speech bill in the Senate.

While Coalition backbenchers are free to cross the floor under the agreement between the Liberals and Nationals, frontbenchers are required to vote in line with the position taken by the shadow cabinet.

Littleproud then wrote to Ley, threatening the entire Nationals frontbench would follow in order “to take collective responsibility” if she accepted the trio’s resignations.

Ley called the resignations “unnecessary” and said she would not make any permanent changes to the shadow ministry to give her junior partner time to reconsider.

“The Liberal Party supports the Coalition arrangements because they deliver the most effective political alliance for good government,” she said in a statement yesterday.

Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek criticised the Coalition for making this week “all about themselves” instead of being united and bringing Australia together after the Bondi attack.

“It’s very disappointing that the Coalition made this week all about themselves and their own chaos and division,” she told Today.

“After calling for parliament to be returned, after calling for stronger laws, they haven’t backed those stronger laws, they’ve actually asked them to be watered down

“They’re not even a Coalition anymore, they’re falling apart at the seams at a time when we need stability and unity and adult behaviour in this country.”