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Nationals united despite threats to leave

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack insists his party is united despite threats from one MP to leave and go to the crossbench.

Deputy PM Michael McCormack and Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
Michael McCormack says the Nationals applaud Scott Morrison's focus on the drought. (AAP)

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Source: AAP


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Nationals leader Michael McCormack insists none of his MPs are quitting his party despite a threat from one to leave over the Liberal Party leadership debacle.

Mr McCormack, whose party has a coalition agreement with the Liberals, is still deputy prime minister behind newly-selected Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Nationals MP Kevin Hogan has threatened to go to the crossbench if the Liberals spilled the leadership, after saying his community was fed up with leadership changes.

"I thought the one statement I can make is that I'm not condoning - implicitly or explicitly - this behaviour and I'm moving to the crossbench," he told Nine.

Mr Hogan promised to guarantee supply and confidence but without his vote the government's wafer-thin majority could become more precarious

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But Mr McCormack said all of his MPs are staying in the party.

"We haven't lost anybody to the crossbench, I've got 22 National party members," Mr McCormack told reporters on Friday night.

Under the new coalition deal, the Nationals will keep the five cabinet ministers they had under Mr Turnbull.

Mr McCormack said he was pleased Mr Morrison was serious about dealing with the drought, which is affecting large parts of NSW and Queensland.

"I'm delighted that the new prime minister has agreed to my suggestion to make a drought-affected area in Queensland one of his very first stopovers - in fact it will be his first visit," he said.

"The drought is front and centre of his mind."

Mr McCormack also took aim at the media for participating in the tearing down of prime ministers.

"This bloodsport has got to stop. This tearing down of prime ministers," Mr McCormack said.

"I can say that as a former journalist myself.

"Some of the tearing down that has occurred has been very unfortunate, not just on my side but on the other side as well."

Mr McCormack said it had been an "unfortunate" week but the Liberals and the Nationals were united behind Mr Morrison and would continue to deliver stable government.


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