Liberal Senator James Paterson has thrown his support behind Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and expressed his preference for the Coalition to stay together.
Paterson’s comments come as speculation about her leadership circulates, as well as the National Party emerging to oppose net zero.
Paterson said he “strongly” supported Ley when asked whether her confidence in remaining leader until the end of the year was warranted.
“It is critical as a party that we resolve these big questions, like net zero. But when we’ve done so, we will be able to turn our fire on the government,” Paterson said on ABC Radio National.
Ley had earlier said she was “completely confident” she would lead the party through the year.
Ley won the leadership in a narrow contest earlier this year, 29-25, with the support of the moderates and centre-right of the party.
Paterson also made clear his preference for the Liberal Party and National Party to remain a Coalition, despite moderate Senator Andrew Bragg saying it should not be “at any cost.”
“If the Liberal Party and National Party views are completely irreconcilable, then we couldn’t be in Coalition,” Paterson said.
“But it is my very, very strong preference that we remain in Coalition because we cannot form government without being in Coalition with the National Party.”
Paterson explained that history reveals what happens when the Liberal and National Parties do not run in Coalition.
“The 1987 election is not widely remembered as a great success for either the Liberal or National Parties. And we should all be determined to ensure that doesn’t happen again,” Paterson said.
The Coalition went to the last election in May 2025, supporting net zero, but was defeated heavily.
Paterson declined to provide his own stance ahead of the Coalition’s soon-to-be-released energy policy.
“As a member of the leadership group and the Shadow Cabinet, I’m not publicly canvassing my views on this because I’ve got plenty of opportunities to have my say internally,” Paterson said.
“Your listeners, though, will not have long to wait for the Liberal Party to articulate its own view on this.”
In a separate interview on Nov. 6, Paterson rejected claims that the National Party was further along than the Liberals on deciding Coalition policy.
“The National Party is their own independent, sovereign political party, and they went through their own process to determine their position on net zero,” he said.
“The Liberal party will go and is going through our own process too.”
Victorian Senator Jane Hume, who lost her front bench role after the election, also backed Ley.
Labor Response
Labor Minister Murray Watt, on the other hand, criticised the Coalition for their division, and said it created space for the Greens.Watt was discussing the government’s environmental protection bills, which he is trying to pass by the end of the parliamentary year.
“They’re very divided over net zero, and I think that is getting in the way of their ability to really focus on these laws,” Watt said.
Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen also weighed in on Bluesky.
