Australia’s opposition coalition reunites a week after split

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By Alasdair Pal

SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia’s conservative opposition coalition said on Wednesday it would reunite, a week after splitting over policy differences following a resounding election defeat.

The Liberal and National parties have shared power for decades in state and federal politics, with the Nationals broadly representing the interests of rural communities and the Liberals contesting city seats.

“Our parties are at their best when they work together, to fight, right now as a strong opposition for this government,” new Liberal Party leader Sussan Ley told a news conference.

“I know that we will be a great partnership going forward.”

In a May federal election dominated by voter backlash against U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies, the Liberal Party – historically the more dominant of the two parties in the coalition – was reduced to 28 out of 150 seats in the country’s lower house of parliament, with the Nationals holding 15 seats.

The incumbent Labor Party led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese increased its seats to 94 from 77.

The two conservative parties briefly split last week due to differences over policies, including nuclear energy, powers to break up leading supermarket chains and policies relating to regional Australia.

Ley, a moderate who took over after the former Liberal leader lost his seat in the election, also announced her shadow cabinet, naming deputy leader Ted O’Brien as shadow Treasurer.

Angus Taylor, the former shadow Treasurer from the right of the party who ran against Ley for the leadership, was moved to a shadow defence role.

Precursors of both parties have been in alliance for over a century, though they have briefly split several times over that period.

(Reporting by Alasdair Pal in Sydney; Editing by Michael Perry)