Coalition split: Former Nationals leader Michael McCormack spoke against split from Liberal Party
Hogan on Wednesday said not all Nationals members supported the decision, but it was ultimately agreed to by the party room. 'It wasn't unanimous, but it was quite conclusive,' he told Sky News.
Littleproud said it was a collective decision but did not say how many members had disagreed.
'You'll never know that. In the National party room, it's sacrosanct, and I'll respect the privacy of that room,' he said on the ABC.
'It was a tough decision to make, one we didn't take lightly, and one that's not made in anger or vengeance. It's one that's predicated on principle.'
Ley said she was disappointed by the decision, while former prime minister John Howard damned it as a 'stupid move' that threatened to deepen differences between the parties.
Deputy Liberal leader Ted O'Brien agreed with Howard's assessment. 'I think Mr Howard is spot on,' he said on Sky .
'We need to make sure we continue to talk together, work closely, and that'll be our intention. Again, as Sussan was crystal clear yesterday, we don't welcome this split in the Coalition. I wish that the National Party did not walk away.'
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But re-elected Liberal MP Tim Wilson said the split would give the Liberal Party an opportunity to determine who it represents and what it stands for after successive elections where it was all but turfed from capital cities that were once its strongholds.
'I wasn't expecting this outcome, the decision has been made,' he said on Sky on Wednesday morning. 'But when it comes down to it, this gives us a really exciting opportunity as a Liberal Party, to find our Liberal mojo juice again, and to stand up.
'We've got to find our Liberal mojo juice if we want to be able to get on and represent the capital cities where the overwhelming majority of Australians are, and of course, this is an opportunity to do that.'
Wilson said the Liberal Party needed to its own bold, confident and future-focused party within any coalition arrangement. 'That means that when we work with the National Party, we do so understanding that we have our own core beliefs, and we're going to find a way to work together, but from a position of strength,' he said.
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