Barnaby Joyce Says Coalition-One Nation Talks Already Underway

Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce has revealed he has held informal discussions with senior Coalition figures about how the Liberal-National parties might work with One Nation after the next federal election, setting up a public disagreement with Opposition Leader Angus Taylor over whether such talks have taken place at all.

Speaking to 4BC Brisbane, Joyce said conversations about post-election arrangements were only sensible given the arithmetic of the House of Representatives, where 76 of the 150 seats are needed to form government. He argued that if neither Labor nor the Coalition secured a majority outright, minor parties including One Nation could become essential to any government reaching that threshold through a supply and confidence agreement, rather than a formal coalition.

Asked about Joyce's comments on 4BC Breakfast earlier in the day, Angus Taylor dismissed the idea that any such discussions were happening, suggesting it may have been "a figment of Barnaby's imagination." Taylor said he was not interested in negotiating deals behind closed doors and preferred to focus on policies he believes would improve outcomes for Australians.

Joyce rejected that characterisation when he later joined the program, insisting well-placed figures within the Coalition were already having exactly that conversation. He suggested Taylor's public denial reflected internal pressure from MPs uneasy about being closely associated with One Nation, naming colleagues Tim Wilson and Andrew Bragg as examples of members he believed held reservations.

The Nationals figure argued any party serious about removing the current federal government needed to be upfront with voters before polling day about its willingness to negotiate with One Nation if the numbers required it, rather than reversing course afterward. He pointed to the formal process that follows an inconclusive election, in which a prospective prime minister must demonstrate to the Governor-General that they can command supply and confidence in the parliament, warning that a government unable to do so would face repeated no-confidence motions and instability.

Joyce said he understood frustration with the media's appetite for conflict stories during the election cycle, but maintained that voters were more focused on removing the current government than on the mechanics of which parties might align to do it. The exchange comes after a period of public soul-searching within the Coalition about its 2022 election loss, which Joyce linked in the discussion to fallout from commitments made at the Glasgow climate summit under the previous government.

Neither Joyce nor Taylor's office has indicated that formal coalition negotiations with One Nation are underway, and any arrangement would depend on the outcome of an election yet to be called.