A successful merger of the Liberal and National parties in Queensland would give the blueprint for a single, united federal Opposition, newly elected Liberal Party state president Mal Brough said yesterday.
But Nationals Leader Warren Truss is still considering splitting the Federal Coalition.
Delegates at the Liberal party's State convention in Brisbane voted 2-1 in favour of Mr Brough over interim president Gary Spence, who held the position for only two months.
Mr Brough said his sights were now focused firmly on redrafting the constitution of the proposed new party, to be known as the Liberal National Party of Queensland.
He criticised the draft constitution as too bureaucratic, urging conference delegates to lose any entrenched views. "The easy option would be to placate everyone, to come up with a party that would just get us across the line," Mr Brough said.
He said he was committed to building an entity that was not just a "smash together of the two, but is something genuinely new, vibrant, energised".
He said the flaws in the draft were not related to the relationship between the Liberal and National parties but the identity of the new force.
"The new entity itself doesn't actually put the emphasis that I believe is essential to attract new people to the party, people who want to be part of the political process," he said. "That's not a Liberal-National thing."
Negotiations could still be completed before July, Mr Brough said.
"Ultimately, if we need to take another week or two to get it right then I'm prepared to do that," he said.
Ballot papers have been sent to the state's 5500 Liberal members and if the merger proposal is passed next month, the Liberals and Nationals will hold separate conventions in July to approve an agreement and constitution for the new party.
Queensland Nationals Senator Barnaby Joyce said yesterday the merger would help "put to rest this idea that anytime something goes wrong [in the Opposition] it's because of the structure".
But the formation of the new party was just a "stepping stone" and needed to include a reinvigorated branch structure that was more capable of addressing issues at the grassroots of the party, he said.
Senator Joyce acknowledged the state merger was a "test case" for a federal amalgamation of the parties.
But his Federal Nationals Leader Warren Truss this morning left open the option of the party splitting the Coalition and going it alone.
"We're looking at all the options, not just merger," Mr Truss said.
"We're looking at the potential to go it alone, or have a stronger role or a different role within the Coalition.
"All the options are on the table, as they ought to be following election defeats and following our determination to try and make sure we have in place the best structures to represent those who want to support non-Labor politics in Australia. "
Mr Truss said the party would await the findings of a major review being led by former Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson before any concrete decisions are made.
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