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Nationals leader downplays critical MPs

Nationals leader Michael McCormack has played down the spectre of Barnaby Joyce returning to the leadership after the federal election.

Michael McCormack Election 2019
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack will campaign in his own electorate on Friday. (AAP)

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Source: AAP


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Nationals leader Michael McCormack has dismissed suggestions a Queensland MP is undermining him after she raised the prospect of Barnaby Joyce making a comeback.

Michelle Landy, who is battling to retain her seat of Capricornia, told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald a new-look party room could look at Mr Joyce returning to the leadership after the election.

Mr McCormack said Ms Landry was merely spelling out that all leadership positions would be spilled after the election, regardless of the result.

"She absolutely isn't undermining me," Mr McCormack told AAP on Friday.

"I had a chat to Michelle Landry this morning. I took no offence."

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He said the coalition was in a position to win the May 18 election and leadership questions would be answered after the poll.

"Depending on the result we'll see what happens after that," Mr McCormack said.

Former Nationals leader Tim Fischer and Kay Hull, who held the NSW seat of Riverina before Mr McCormack, both told AAP he should continue in the job after the election.

Keith Pitt, another Queensland Nationals MP desperately trying to cling to his marginal seat, has also caused a headache for his leader two weeks before the election.

Mr Pitt has publicly disagreed with Mr McCormack who said One Nation was more closely aligned with the Nationals than Labor or the Greens.

"National Party and One Nation policies are different," the deputy prime minister said.

"But the people who vote for One Nation would probably vote for the National Party before they would ever vote for Labor or the Greens."

He said there was no deal between the Nationals and One Nation, which has been rocked by the resignation of Queensland Senate candidate Steve Dickson over his treatment of women at a strip club.

Mr Dickson was also caught discussing donations from the US gun lobby.

"I understand that the One Nation party had made some unpalatable remarks, visited some unpalatable places and tried to do some unpalatable deals with overseas gun lobby interests," Mr McCormack said.

The Nationals' wombat trail has focused for two days on Mr McCormack's electorate of Riverina.

He opened a medical centre in the central western NSW town of Grenfell on Friday, before heading back to Wagga Wagga for the town's showpiece thoroughbred racing meeting.


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