Opposition leader Sussan Ley says her door is open for the Nationals to rejoin the Coalition, after being accused by Nationals leader Littleproud of breaking the Coalition.
The National Party announced on Wednesday it would completely quit the shadow cabinet, after Ley accepted the resignation of three Nationals MPs over the new hate speech law on Tuesday.
After refusing to respond to the Nationals on Thursday, citing the national day of mourning for the 14 December Bondi terror attack, Ley told Nine her door is open for the party to return to the Coalition.
Ley said she was also confident that she would remain Liberal Party leader, despite Littleproud making it clear this week that the Nationals wouldn't return to the Coalition if Ley were still the leader.
"The Liberal Party stood firm for two principles this week, the principle being that we need to dismantle Nazis and deport radical Islamic extremists," Ley told Channel Nine's Today show on Friday.
"We improved Labor's laws to do exactly that and I'm proud of that.
"...the Coalition is stronger together. The door is open from my point of view, but I'm not looking at the door."
Littleproud accuses Ley of breaking shadow cabinet solidarity
Also speaking on the Today show, Littleproud said there wasn't a "normal Coalition process" to discuss the now-passed hate speech law.
He said there was no joint party room ahead of the vote to present their position.
"Normally the process is that the shadow cabinet will see the bill entirely, it would debate that bill, it will then go to a joint party room where the collective wisdom of both the Liberal Party and the National Party come together to debate it, and to get to position," he said.
"Those forums weren't afforded to us."
Littleproud also said the Nationals had respected Ley's instruction to not vote against the bill when it was in the House of Representatives.
After the three National MPs crossed the floor in the Senate, Littleproud said they submitted their resignations "out of respect", but he also made it clear that if Ley accepted the resignation, the entire National Party would quit the shadow cabinet too.
He said the National Party had given "every opportunity" to the Liberal Party.
"We committed to the Coalition, but we were let down again," Littleproud said.
"Sussan Ley broke the Coalition when she accepted those three resignations."
Littleproud said his door was still open to the Liberal Party, but his party wouldn't "rush" through the matters.
"Our door is open, but the reality is I think it's healthy for a bit of time apart for them to work out who they are."
'It doesn't look good'
Shadow communication minister Melissa McIntosh told Sky News Australians were "pretty unhappy" with the Coalition.
"We ended the week talking about ourselves again, which is very disappointing.
"It doesn’t look good... our marriage has broken up twice in a year. I’m a Coalitionist and I really value the relationship.
"I know we’re bleeding votes ... the reason why we’re doing that is what’s happening right now."
She said she ultimately backs Ley's leadership however.
Speaking to ABC radio, senior Liberals — including deputy leader Ted O'Brien and Shadow Health Minister Anne Ruston — backed Ley's leadership.
O'Brien said he remained hopeful the two parties would reunite, but admitted he couldn't know "how long it will take".
Nationals senator Matt Canavan said he still couldn't "understand" why the Liberals would vote for the hate speech laws without Nationals-proposed amendments.
"I don't think we should have a law in this country where a government could convict you of a hate crime just for you boycotting economic products, which could happen under this law," he told the Today show on Friday.
Former Nationals-turned-Liberal senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price told Sky News on Thursday that the Coalition had made "a huge mistake" over their response to the Bondi terror attack, where they urged Labor to recall parliament earlier to pass laws.
"I don't think we should have recalled parliament as quickly as we did."
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