The Liberals and Nationals coalition was restored on May 28 – just a week after its dramatic ‘’breakdown”.

The reunification came when Nationals leader David Littleproud and Liberal leader Sussan Ley announced they renewed the coalition agreement.

The Liberal leader thanked David Littleproud for the “respectful and productive” negotiation and added that the Coalition will be “stronger together, better together”. Previously, the Coalition split due to ideological and policy divisions.

The new agreement came after the Liberal’s commitment to temporarily suspend the national nuclear energy plan, establish a $20 billion regional investment fund, and strengthen regulatory powers on major supermarkets.

But not everyone welcomed the reunification.

Former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull accused the Nationals of “holding the party [the Liberals] hostage”.

“Holding a gun to the Liberal Party’s head is politically stupid,” he told the ABC  on May 22.

He also warned that trust within the Coalition has been severely damaged.

Australian Studies Institute director Mark Kenny also called the initial break-up a “dramatic negotiating manoeuvre aimed at gaining greater representation for [Littleproud’s] party”.

The Liberal party also faces growing influence from the Teal, with independent members challenging its traditional base. The party lost its once-safe seat of Bradfield to Teal independent Nicolette Boele by a margin of just 26 votes after days of vote recount.

The result marks the first time it lost the seat since the Liberal Party creation in 1949. The narrow loss sparked internal unrest, with critics arguing that the party underestimated the Teal. Analysts see Boele’s win as a broader shift in urban voting patterns, particularly among educated, middle class voters disappointed with major party politics.

Sussan Ley now needs to tackle her party’s internal unrest, the expansion of Labor and the Nationals, as well as the Teal’s growing influence.