Coalition set for crisis talks after Nats MP sacked
NSW Liberals will meet to discuss their future with the junior coalition partner after a rogue Nationals MP publicly chastised the opposition leader.
Upper house MP Wes Fang has been removed from his shadow cabinet positions, after he accused Opposition Leader Mark Speakman of "slinking" into his home town of Wagga Wagga on Friday and "pretending" to care about the Riverina.
Mr Speakman responded by announcing he'd terminated Mr Fang's shadow portfolios of police and emergency services, agriculture and natural resources and regional NSW, but the Nationals declared he didn't have the power to sack a member of their team.
Mr Fang's shadow portfolios were officially removed from the NSW parliament website on Monday, with the Liberals claiming the parliamentary clerk had accepted Mr Speakman's ability to sack the MP.
It leaves the opposition in turmoil ahead of the meeting on Tuesday, with the Liberals understood to be seriously contemplating blowing up the coalition agreement should the Nationals not accept Mr Fang's sacking.
Nationals leader Dugald Saunders, who dismissed the attempt to remove his colleague, declined to comment on Monday.
Liberal leadership does not have the power to sack Nationals MPs in the manner Mr Speakman did, Mr Saunders claimed on Friday.
Mr Fang, who has since deleted his controversial Facebook post, said Mr Speakman behaved in an "underhanded" way by not informing him he was coming to Wagga Wagga.
Mr Speakman was in the regional centre on Wednesday, meeting with Independent MP Joe McGirr for what he said was "an in-depth tour and discussion of Wagga Wagga issues".
"So ... the leader of the NSW Liberals Mark Speakman, slinks into #WaggaWagga, pretending like the Libs actually care about the Riverina," Mr Fang's post read.
"Did he ask the 'Coalition' member who lives in Wagga Wagga and is apparently part of his 'team' to have an in-depth discussion of Wagga Wagga issues?
"No. In fact, he didn't even have the courtesy to let me know he was coming."
The NSW coalition's last major tussle was in 2020, when Nationals MPs threatened to move to the crossbench yet keep their ministerial portfolios after a disagreement on koala protection policy.
Former Premier Gladys Berejiklian threatened to kick the members out of her cabinet if they moved to the crossbench, leading the Nationals to back away from their threat.
