Calls for the Queensland Liberal National party to sit separately in Canberra have “lessened a fraction” due to promotion of two Queenslanders to cabinet, Liberal senator Ian Macdonald has said.

Nationals including leader Barnaby Joyce and Michael McCormack spent Wednesday publicly encouraging demoted MP Keith Pitt not to split from the party.

But Macdonald – who pushed for the LNP to separate after the 2016 election – spruiked the merits of a split, while playing down its likelihood, in response to reports that Pitt is establishing a beachhead for a party that could usurp the Nationals as the junior Coalition partner.

Macdonald told Guardian Australia that losing Pitt, who was dropped from his role as assistant trade minister, from the ministry was a “great shame”. He said “no reason” was given, describing the decision as a “reflection on Barnaby Joyce’s judgment”.

On Wednesday Joyce defended his decision to dump infrastructure minister Darren Chester even as the deputy Nationals leader, Bridget McKenzie, publicly contradicted his position that geography explained the reshuffle moves.

Macdonald described the reshuffle as “not bad”, citing the fact two Queenslanders, Liberal John McVeigh and National David Littleproud had joined cabinet, bringing the number of rural Liberals in cabinet to four.

“As for the Queensland LNP – I’ve, for a long time, advocated we should sit as a separate party.

“Had Queensland not had two cabinet ministers to replace [attorney general George] Brandis and Pitt, there would have been a renewed push for that.”



Macdonald said the Queensland LNP had “secured Coalition governments for decades” but its contribution had “never been recognised” with commensurate federal appointments.

“The benefit would be: if there were a separate party there would be a Queenslander as deputy prime minister.”

Asked to nominate who might usurp Joyce in the deputy prime minister role, Macdonald nominated the home affairs minister, Peter Dutton, the trade minister, Steve Ciobo, and McVeigh – all Queensland Liberals.

“If the LNP sits as a separate party, the National party is a very small rump,” he said.

Michael McCormack, Nationals MP and the new minister for veterans’ affairs and defence personnel, told Sky News he would “like to think that Keith [Pitt] will stay in the National party”.

“He has National party values, National party principles,” he said.

McCormack said he had told Pitt to wait out the demotion because he had “done an outstanding job” and “needs to make sure [he stays] with the Nationals”.

“He knows the Nationals are there for his constituency and he puts his constituency first.”



In a statement on Wednesday Pitt said he would act in the best interests of his constituency, the seat of Hinkler centred on Bundaberg.



“Service to the nation in any capacity is a privilege … and one I have always taken very seriously,” he said.

Asked if he was confident Pitt would not quit, Joyce told Sky News: “Yes, I’m confident that Keith has a great desire to do the very best for the people of Bundaberg.

“I know Keith is a person of immense talent and he will continue to work extremely hard for his constituency.”

In recent months LNP National MP George Christensen has also threatened to quit the Coalition unless Malcolm Turnbull was replaced as leader, but withdrew the threat after the government instituted a banking royal commission.