Police and Services Minister David Elliott has offered some advice to beleagured Deputy Premier John Barilaro following the attempt by the Nationals party to withdraw support for the government.
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"I would tell him, don't bring a knife to a gunfight," Mr Elliott said on Friday, while presenting the Delroy Fire Station with a new fire engine.
"Don't make threats that you can't follow through on."
Mr Elliott said that he believes the deputy premier's position as the leader of the government's junior party is 'untenable' following the attempt to bring down the government on Thursday.
Elliott referred to the attempt, and subsequent backflip as 'disgusting', saying it had distracted from the state government's efforts to handle the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is disgusting to divert attention to something not even on the political radar at a time like this.
- Police and Services Minister David Elliott
"It is disgusting to divert attention to something not even on the political radar at a time like this," Mr Elliott said.
"Concern should have been raised at the appropriate time, the Premier is focused on getting us through this pandemic, don't distract from that."
The NSW Nationals on Thursday said they would sit on the crossbench and not support Coalition legislation until the government changes planning regulations that would give farmers responsibility for managing koalas on their properties.
The Nationals say the laws, designed to protect koala habit, will drastically limit the way farmers and property owners can manage their land.
On Friday morning NSW Nationals leader John Barilaro agreed the Nationals would remain as junior coalition partners while at a crisis meeting with Premier Gladys Berejiklian.
The meeting was held after Ms Berejiklian issued an ultimatum to the deputy premier and his Nationals colleagues on Thursday to declare support for her government by 9am on Friday or be sacked from cabinet.
In a joint media statement, Ms Berejiklian and Mr Barilaro confirmed the coalition remained in place and the Nationals' concerns over the koala policy would be dealt with at an upcoming cabinet meeting.
National's Party member for Dubbo Dugald Saunders MP affirmed that the Nationals leader has the 'full support' of everyone in the party and that support was demonstrated at a party meeting earlier today.