CANBERRA, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- Eight more National Party senators in the Australian shadow ministry quit on Wednesday evening, in solidarity with their three senior colleagues who stepped down earlier the day.
Bridget McKenzie, Ross Cadell and Susan McDonald resigned earlier after they voted against the newly passed hate crime laws on Tuesday, which is seen as a violation of shadow cabinet solidarity.
The National Party then convened and decided that all remaining members of the front bench would quit -- a move that could tear the Coalition apart.
Earlier, National Party leader David Littleproud told Coalition leader Sussan Ley that a mass exodus could occur if she accepted the trio's resignations. Yet Ley insisted that cabinet solidarity is a non-negotiable principle. ■