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Joyce and her supporters, who make up about half of the 21-member party hall, are calling for leadership success in the election. The Nationals kept all 16 seats in the lower house amid a widespread change of electorate in favor of the Progressive Parties, which saw the Liberals lose at least 17 seats.
The other side of the party hall says a change of leadership is needed to correct the oscillation of the Nationals, who saw the party retreat in 12 of its 16 seats. Four previously safe Nationals seats are now marginal.
“We’re not the Liberals’ excuse; they have to look at their own boat and own it,” Joyce told the post chief on Saturday.
Last Monday, Joyce noted that the support of nationals for zero net was open to discussion again after the loss of the election.
But Chester, Littleproud and former leader Michael McCormack, who was ousted by Joyce in a leadership spill last year, say nationals must continue to focus on the “sensitive center” of politics.
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Chester, McCormack and Littleproud support a bipartisan policy of zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 to give nationals and the coalition a viable chance of winning a federal election.
“We can’t point the finger at the Libs for these losses,” McCormack said Tuesday.
“We have given people an excuse to park their votes with calls [independents] and they did so in such numbers that the Libs lost. “
Chester echoed McCormack’s remarks Thursday.
“How we develop our policies, deliver our message and work with our coalition partners in the future will determine if we can return to government and offer to the regional communities,” he said.
Resolve Political Monitor, conducted for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age by research firm Resolve Strategic, showed a strong negative perception of Joyce, which has a net rating of less than 29 per cent.
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