Two Nationals MPs who were dumped in last year's reshuffle are set to make a return to the frontbench, but not cabinet, in a shake-up designed to avoid another war inside the junior Coalition partner.
While Darren Chester and Keith Pitt, both unceremoniously dumped by Barnaby Joyce in December, will return to the frontbench, new leader Michael McCormack has not touched any of the Nationals in Cabinet who are regarded as Joyce loyalists.
As forecast this week by The Australian Financial Review, the shake-up announced by Mr McCormack will shift Victorian Darren Chester from the backbench to the outer ministry where he will replace Mr McCormack as Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Defence Personnel and Minister Assisting for the Centenary of ANZAC.
In December, Mr Chester was dumped from cabinet and sent to the backbench.
Keith Pitt, who was also controversially sent to the backbench by Mr Joyce in the December reshuffle, returns to his previous rank of Parliamentary Secretary, as assistant minister to Mr McCormack.
Advertisement
He replaces Victorian Damien Drum who was only elevated to Parliamentary Secretary in December. As a Victorian, he had to make way given Mr Chester's return.
The other casualty was NSW MP Luke Hartsuyker who has been replaced by fellow NSW MP Mark Coulton as Parliamentary Secretary for Trade, Tourism and Investment.
Mr McCormack, as leader, moved into cabinet to replace Mr Joyce as Infrastructure Minister.
The reshuffle is the sixth shake-up of the ministry since Mr Turnbull replaced Tony Abbott as leader in September 2015.
It seeks to look after those who supported Mr McCormack, while not picking a fresh fight by demoting anyone from Cabinet.
"I am fortunate to be leader of a party with so many talented people, but ultimately my focus was on maintaining stability so the government can get on with the job of delivering for the nation," Mr McCormack said.
The Nationals have five Cabinet Ministers: Mr McCormack, Deputy Leader Bridget McKenzie, Matt Canavan, Nigel Scullion and David Littleproud.
The latter three are considered Joyce loyalists and while Mr McCormack was under some pressure to replace one or more with Mr Pitt and Mr Chester, this would have sparked another war inside the party which was torn asunder by Mr Joyce's extra-marital affair and resignation.
Immediately following the announcement on late Thursday, there was some low-level grumbling that Mr Joyce's supporters had been spared by Mr McCormack, who fended off Mr Littleproud for the leadership.
"None of them were in his corner," one of Mr McCormack's supporters said of the cabinet trio.
"But he couldn't win. If he left them out, it was war, if he kept them in, he kept Barnaby's team."
It is understood Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had also urged Mr McCormack to keep the changes to a minimum so as not to prolong the saga which has sucked the oxygen from his government.
In this vein, on Monday, as soon as Mr McCormack became Nationals leader, he and Mr Turnbull signed the very same Coalition agreement that Mr Turnbull negotiated by Mr Joyce.
The agreement is a secret deal between the two Coalition party leaders which covers policy arrangements and portfolios,
Mr Turnbull says the agreement – which has never been publicly released – contained exactly the same terms as the one he signed with Mr Joyce.
The three new frontbenchers will be sworn in at Government House on Monday by Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove.
Add Category
