2021 National Party of Australia leadership spill

On the day of the spill, Morrison was already back in Australia and quarantining in The Lodge for COVID-19. While Morrison could attend that day's Question Time via video conference, the Deputy Prime Minister would physically sit in the Prime Minister's chair in the House of Representatives during Question Time. Joyce was due to be sworn in as the next Deputy Prime Minister the following day. Therefore, McCormack, despite ousted as party leader, was still the Deputy Prime Minister and sat in the Prime Minister's chair for Question Time that day.^[19]

After the spill, Joyce was asked by the media if he would oppose Morrison's plan to adopt a net zero emissions target by 2050. Joyce responded that the matter would be discussed in the party room and said that he would be guided by the party room. He claimed that whatever decision would not be "Barnaby policy" but "Nationals' policy", which he would "advocate for".^[2]

On 23 June 2021, two days after the spill, Nationals senators sought to amend the legislation introduced by the Liberal Party and Coalition cabinet ministers in relation to the Murray–Darling Basin Plan. None of the senators were cabinet ministers, and all reportedly voted for Joyce in the spill.^[18] The senators proposed that 450 gigalitres of water should not be required by legislation to be returned to the environment, that the Commonwealth not be allowed to buy back any more water rights from irrigators, and that the deadline for water-saving projects be extended "to 2024 and beyond", and new projects considered. The amendments were eventually defeated in the Senate that night, with the Greens, Labor and the Liberals voting against them.^[20] Labor and the Greens claimed this was a result of a change in the Nationals leadership. The following day, Nationals lower house MP Damian Drum attempted to introduce an identical amendment in the House of Representatives. He later withdrew the amendment, as Joyce, as a cabinet minister, would be forced to vote along with the government and oppose his own party policy.^[21]

The amendments were also criticised by South Australians including the South Australian Liberal state government.^[22]

Joyce's ascension as federal party leader was not supported by some female Nationals federal and state MPs. Federal Nationals lower house MPs Michelle Landry and Anne Webster raised concerns that women would not be happy at Joyce becoming leader.^[23][19] The WA opposition leader and WA Nationals leader Mia Davies said it was "very disappointing" to see Joyce return as leader of federal Nationals, while Victoria Nationals deputy leader Steph Ryan said that Joyce's past actions "did not make him eligible for the leadership".^[24][25]

In the subsequent ministerial reshuffle the following week, McCormack and his supporters Mark Coulton and Darren Chester were demoted to the backbench, while Joyce's supporters Bridget McKenzie and Andrew Gee were promoted to the cabinet.^[26][27][11] David Gillespie, also a supporter of Joyce, was promoted to the outer ministry.^[28] Resources and water minister Keith Pitt, who introduced the government's Murray–Darling Basin Plan legislation, was demoted from the cabinet to the outer ministry.