You know the story. You have a fight with your partner and suddenly it comes to a head and you’re on a break. But then, you’re talking again and you may just reconcile after all. 

Such is the case for the Liberal-National Coalition, who have paused their public break-up two days after it was announced.

How did we get here?

Tuesday of this very week brought us the news that the Nats’ leader David Littleproud would not sign the party on to a new agreement for a coalition with the Liberal party.

This was after days of tense negotiations with newly-crowned Liberal leader Sussan Ley. 

Littleproud in a press conference cited several reasons for the breakup. He said the pair of leaders could not come together on the use of nuclear power in Australia’s future energy grid; the supermarket divestiture laws aimed at punishing Coles and Woolies for bad business behaviour, and the $20 billion regional “future fund”.

The Nats’ leader added in his comments that he would never enter into an agreement with a party that supported a ban on live animal export.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder?

Following Tuesday’s announcement, the remaining Libs seem to have rushed to their phones, texting their now-former colleagues from the Nationals to see if the news could be reversed.

And reverse gear was indeed found.

Sussan Ley has reportedly met with David Littleproud this morning, and the plan was reportedly halted temporarily.

Littleproud has said today that he will give Ley and her party “additional time” to discuss the policies put forward by the Nationals before proceeding to either split or get back together.

Ley will now reconvene the Liberal party room to discuss the Nationals’ policy requests. Sky News now reports that - along with telecommunications service quality in rural and regional Australia.

Interestingly, this has delayed the announcement of a shadow cabinet while the two attempt to negotiate through this impasse. 

The Nationals had been but hours away from announcing their own appointees to a separate Shadow Cabinet when Ley and the Liberals sent their meeting invite to Littleproud. The creation of a Shadow Cabinet makes the breakup somewhat more permanent. Like signing a lease on a new apartment by yourself after a fight with your partner.

Nationals MPs have now reportedly left Canberra in a sign that they intend to give the Liberal Party MPs a chance to talk for real about the issues before they make a decision on the Coalition’s future.

Party elders on both sides have shared their views on the split. Most recently, Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott said that the two parties "win together and fail separately":

"I deeply regret the Coalition split and hope that it can be re-formed as soon as possible. History shows that the Liberals and the Nationals win together and fail separately. What’s needed right now is a strong critique of a deeply underwhelming government and the development of a clear policy alternative. That’s much more likely with a functioning coalition than with two opposition parties competing with each other rather than with Labor."

We’ll keep an eye on things down at the Canberra circus to see how this develops.