The Nationals say the coalition with the Liberal party is "rock-solid" despite the High Court citizenship ruling upsetting the balance within government. And Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull agrees.
Cabinet minister Darren Chester accepts his colleagues Barnaby Joyce and Fiona Nash were responsible for breaching the constitution, but was confident the loss of the National Party leaders would not upset dynamics in the joint party room.
"We have a rock-solid relationship with our senior Liberal colleagues," Mr Chester told the ABC on Saturday.
Mr Turnbull said the Liberal-National Coalition had been "the most successful political movement in Australian political history."
"The Nationals have had some big knocks lately ... but when times get tough, that's when you put your arms around your mates, you look after them, you support them, you stick together," he told reporters on Saturday.
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"And government goes on, good government goes on."
Longstanding coalition arrangements see alternating positions of seniority shared between the Nationals and Liberals, with a Liberal prime minister at the top of the chain.
Frontbencher Nigel Scullion has been elected the party's interim parliamentary leader, but Barnaby Joyce remains leader.
And Deputy Liberal Leader, Julie Bishop, will be acting prime minister while Mr Turnbull travels overseas until Mr Joyce's future is determined at the December 2 by-election in his seat of New England.
Mr Turnbull said Senator Scullion agreed with the arrangements.
But coalition relations could be tested with Liberals Hollie Hughes expecting to fill the Senate vacancy created by Ms Nash, while the Nationals want to retain that position.
