The Coalition agreement between the Nationals and Liberals was signed on Monday without any changes from the Barnaby Joyce era, the prime minister has revealed.
Malcolm Turnbull said the agreement, which has never been publically released, was agreed in “exactly the same terms as it was signed between me and Barnaby Joyce”.
Labor has been pursuing a copy of the document under Freedom of Information laws but was knocked back by the courts last year.
In question time on Monday, Mr Turnbull revealed the government had spent $87,000 defending the case.
Labor’s Joel Fitzgibbon is expected to pay back some of the money under a costs order made by the court, but the dollar figure has not been defined.The signing of the deal comes ahead of an anticipated cabinet reshuffle, with ministries to be reallocated between two parties.
New Nationals leader Michael McCormack has already taken over Mr Joyce’s former responsibilities of Infrastructure and Transport.
The Nationals party room was due to meet in Canberra on Wednesday but the meeting was cancelled late on Tuesday night.
Baranby Joyce, who recently resigned as Nationals leader and deputy prime minister, was asked why the meeting was cancelled as he arrived at Parliament House on Wednesday morning.
"I don't know," Mr Joyce said. "Actually I do know, but I'm not telling you."
Mr Turnbull said he would meet with Mr McCormack to discuss the cabinet in “due course”.
“I’m not going to comment on ministerial arrangements,” Mr Turnbull told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday mornig.
“Any changes on the Nationals side are obviously ones that I’ll discuss with the new leader of the Nationals party.”
