When the so-called koala wars threatened to tear the New South Wales Coalition apart in 2020, the former premier Gladys Berejiklian appeared to have secured an important victory for the threatened species.
After the former deputy premier John Barilaro threatened to quit the Coalition and move the Nationals to the crossbench, Berejiklian stared him down. She threatened to strip Barilaro and his fellow Nationals ministers of their portfolios if he didn’t back down.