Nine weeks out from the Australian federal election and the Nationals appear to be panicking

News.com/au, 8 March 2019:

The federal Nationals Party could potentially face a leadership spill following reports Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack has lost the confidence of the majority of his party.

The Courier Mail reports several MPs are calling on the Party leader to resign or face a spill. Several MPs reportedly expressed fears that waiting until after the election would be too late, particularly for Queensland representatives.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce appears to be frontrunner for the Nationals leadership.

The Guardian, 8 March 2019:

Barnaby Joyce has declared he will be a candidate if the deputy prime minister, Michael McCormack, spills the Nationals leadership, but the current Nationals leader insists he is going nowhere.

The declaration of intent by Joyce to the Northern Daily Leader on Friday will keep the spotlight trained on internal party tensions after the former Nationals leader suggested in October he would retake the leadership if drafted but denied doing the numbers.

“If it was called open, of course I would stand,” Joyce reportedly told his local paper on Friday, adding he was not “driving” the instability. “I’ve maintained the same line; I have never asked one of my colleagues for a vote, I don’t intend to.”……

A sense of despair has gripped the National party, with MPs critical of McCormack’s performance as leader, and frustrated that he won’t stand up to the Liberal party on issues like energy prices, and taxpayer-backed investment in new coal plants.

But Nationals remain divided about whether or not dumping McCormack this side of the election is a good idea.

Joyce, despite the travails that forced his resignation as leader, has rusted-on support in the Nationals party room, with estimates he commands between six and seven fixed votes in a party room of 22.

But some MPs are vehemently opposed to Joyce returning to the leadership, viewing that eventuality as the only thing worse than the status quo. Nationals sources predict if the leadership was spilled there would likely be a field of several MPs that would split the vote.

Joyce resigned as Nationals leader in February 2018 after a sexual harassment complaint by rural advocate Catherine Marriott compounded weeks of bad headlines caused by his affair with a former staffer and now partner, Vikki Campion.

With New South Wales due to vote in a state election in ten days time and the NSW Nationals with at least four state seats at risk - Tweed, Lismore, Coffs Harbour and Barwon, this recent state poll cannot have settled federal nerves.

Financial Review, 12 March 2019:

A state-wide survey of 1003 voters in The Australian conducted from Friday to Monday [9-11 March] put support for the Coalition and Labor Party at 50 per cent each, a similar result to a Sun-Heald poll on Sunday that had Labor ahead 51 per cent to 49 per cent.

The latest poll would cost the government six seats - it has a six-seat majority - and would lead to a hung Parliament if replicated across the state, illustrating the closeness of the election, which will be held on March 23.