Fairfax Media also confirmed that Liberal-aligned LNP member Scott Buchholz has also been linked to a move to the Nationals. Ian Macfarlane, left, and Malcolm Turnbull have been close personal friends. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen There is an expectation in Nationals ranks that the move will mean the junior Coalition partner will be able to claim another frontbench spot at the expense of a Liberal. Under one scenario being discussed by Nationals, the defection could not only see Mr Macfarlane return to the ministry but could also see him take the job of deputy leader under Mr Joyce when Mr Truss retires. In a press conference in Canberra on Thursday afternoon, Mr Macfarlane said he had arrived at his decision because he wanted regional Queensland to be served "by a depth of experience that is second only to Warren Truss".

"I've been representing regional Australia for nearly 31 years and I look forward to continuing that opportunity," he said. Former Coalition minister Ian Macfarlane. Credit:Stefan Postles Mr Macfarlane said his defection came after a long, "quite disciplined" process that began with discussions with the Mr Truss, followed by Liberal National Party of Queensland President Gary Spence, National Party president Larry Anthony and deputy Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce. Mr Macfarlane said he would accept a ministerial position if one was offered and said this was not an attack on Mr Turnbull for dumping him from the front bench. "Of course I'll be putting myself forward if there's a vacancy but it will be done on the basis of merit within the National Party," he said.

"It's actually a huge vote of confidence in Malcolm Turnbull because the alternative was to leave Parliament." Mr Macfarlane was elected to the Queensland lower house seat of Groom as a Liberal in 1998, and had remained Liberal-aligned since the LNP merger in 2008. There is a growing expectation in Nationals ranks that Mr Truss could announce his plan to retire early next year and that as Mr Joyce holds a NSW seat a Joyce-Macfarlane ticket would maintain the balance between NSW and Queensland, the country party's twin strongholds. One National claimed the plan was actually Mr Truss', highlighting the long friendship between the pair, but that Mr Joyce had told a meeting of Nationals MPs about the plan on Thursday morning. The plan subsequently leaked before it was supposed to.

"This is about Macca being disenfranchised, I don't think people have thought any further beyond that," the MP said. The Nationals' party room would grow to 22 federal MPs under the move. Responding to the defection on Thursday afternoon, Mr Truss said Mr Macfarlane would receive a warm reception in the Nationals party room. He said an increase in the number of Nationals MPs in the Parliament would increase the number of ministerial roles they were entitled to. "And naturally we would expect those elements of the agreement to be honoured," Mr Truss said.

A blow to the PM Mr Macfarlane has been a long-time supporters of Mr Turnbull as far back as the 2009 leadership contest and again in 2015. His subsequent demotion from cabinet surprised many in the Coalition. Mr Turnbull is said to have known about the move since Wednesday. If, as expected, the defection goes ahead it represents a blow to the Prime Minister because of the loss of a member of his team. Mr Truss appeared to confirm the move was in train on Thursday and that he had been involved in discussions. "If this is a plan which you think is orchestrated by Barnaby Joyce then you wouldn't expect me to know about it, would you?" the Deputy Prime Minister said.

"The reality is that we have a strong Coalition arrangement, we work closely together in Queensland as one political party, there are arrangements that are in place about where the rooms that people sit in, in Queensland, and those arrangements have applied since the creation of the LNP." Mr Truss said that Mr Macfarlane "has spoken to me obviously since he was not included in the ministry but that's exactly what you would expect when friends talk to one another". "Ian and I have been friends for a long time, we grew up together and we have been friends and I have great respect for his ability. "He has obviously contributed significantly to the government, so I have a high respect for him but what he wants to do in the future is entirely his decision." One Nationals MP said the move made sense because Mr Macfarlane's seat of Groom was rural, even though he sits in the Liberal Party room.

A moving feast Mr Buchholz had been elevated into the position of Chief Whip by former prime minister Tony Abbott in February, but was sacked by Mr Turnbull following the leadership spill. Minister for International Development and the Pacific Steven Ciobo told Sky News on Thursday afternoon that the situation within the Nationals was a "moving feast". Mr Ciobo said it was his understanding that Mr Macfarlane would defect in a move that would be viewed as nothing more than an attempt to make his way back into the ministry. "It's certainly my understanding that it's only a matter of time now that he'll be making this announcement," he said.

"It provides the context as to the reason why: he clearly was aggrieved that he wasn't kept in cabinet, felt that he has more to give and sees this as his pathway to getting back into the ministry He added that he did not think there would be a reshuffle of the front bench until Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss reached a decision about his future in the Parliament. "I think in this case it's a bit of a moving feast in terms of what the National Party decide to do," he said. With Lisa Cox Follow us on Twitter