Prime Minister Scott Morrison is confident Barnaby Joyce has put his push for government investment in a coal-fired power station on ice, despite the former Nationals leader saying he still supports the idea.
"Barnaby put these matters to rest this morning," Mr Morrison has told reporters in Melbourne on Wednesday.
"He's a passionate fellow, there's no doubt about that, and I think he's settled those issues down this morning in the comments he's made about his missteps earlier in the week."
Mr Joyce and six Nationals colleagues have demanded the Commonwealth fund a coal project in Queensland before the next election.
The push has coincided with Mr Joyce declaring earlier in the week he would make another attempt at becoming leader of the Nationals if the position was spilled.
On Wednesday, he backed away from challenging Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack for the Nationals leadership, saying his earlier comments may have been a misstep.
But he said he would continue to push for government investment in a coal-fired power station.
Resources Minister Matt Canavan has now thrown his support behind the coal push.
That puts him at odds with Mr Morrison and Nationals deputy leader Bridget McKenzie, who has publicly slapped down Mr Joyce.
"We have some of the best coal in the world in north Queensland and we should use it to lower power prices for Australians, not only for those overseas," Senator Canavan told The Courier-Mail on Wednesday.
Unlike his colleagues, Senator Canavan is in no rush for investment before the next election.
"What I want is for us to work through all of these things diligently and make the right decisions," he told ABC radio.
"If we can come to a conclusion for that before we go into caretaker mode for the next election, great, but we've got to get the detail right."
Liberal backbenchers and senior Nationals from across the country have rejected the pro-coal push and dismissed suggestions it is the best way to reduce power prices and improve reliability.
Mr Morrison says his team is in agreement on what matters, being the need for reliable, sustainable power.
"We all agree on that and we're technology and resource agnostic when it comes to that," he said.
"At the end of the day, it's about getting lower prices, it's about having sensible emissions reductions targets."
