Queensland National Party senator Barnaby Joyce has called for the federal Nationals to abandon the coalition.
Nationals' leader Warren Truss is reviewing the party's structure after a strong showing in Western Australia's state election on Saturday, and Senator Joyce on Monday said the West Australian model offered the best opportunity for the Nationals.
The Alan Carpenter-led Labor in WA appears unlikely to win more than 27 seats in the 59-member parliament, while the Liberals may end up with fewer than that.
The four National MPs will likely hold the balance of power and determine who will govern.
In Saturday's federal by-elections, which were not contested by Labor, an independent took the NSW seat of Lyne from The Nationals, and the Greens are giving the Liberals a run for their money in Mayo in South Australia.
"The Labor Party didn't turn up, didn't turn up, lost, and if you talk about NSW, blew up," Senator Joyce told ABC Radio.
"For the Liberal Party, good result, bad result.
"For the National Party a great result in the West, and obviously, you know, we have to be factual about it, Lyne was disaster."
