David Littleproud accuses Scott Morrison of breaching Coalition agreement, Barnaby Joyce says scandal would have been dilemma for Nationals if made public

A fresh feud between the Coalition partners has erupted as the fallout continues to revelations the former prime minister appointed himself to five secret portfolios during the pandemic - including the Nationals-held resources ministry.

One of the Liberals who lost their seats at the federal election has shot back at claims the Nationals were disrespected.

Former Mackellar MP Jason Falinksi said it was the Nationals which had shown disregard for their city colleagues with their anti-climate rhetoric, which he said had cost the Liberals more than a dozen seats at the May federal election.

"Where was the respect from our communities from the Nationals?" Mr Falinski told The Canberra Times.

The word-of-words comes as the former Nationals leader said the junior Coalition partner would have been put between a "a rock and a hard place" had Mr Morrison's secret ministries gone public while he was in power.

Barnaby Joyce has told The Canberra Times the Nationals would have been forced to choose between pushing back against Mr Morrison and holding onto an extra ministry, which the then-prime minister had the authority to take away.

Nationals members remain angry at revelations Mr Morrison secretly appointed himself to the resources portfolio so he could kill off an offshore gas exploration permit which stretched from Sydney to Newcastle.

Liberals including Mr Falinski had been pushing for then-Nationals resources minister Keith Pitt to reject the permit.

Nationals frontbencher and former minister Bridget McKenzie on Thursday said the former prime minister had shown "complete disrespect" for the Nationals, claiming his power-grab amounted to a breach of the secret agreement which binds the two Coalition partners.

"By essentially removing the authority of one of those ministers and giving it to a Liberal minister without that minister's knowledge, essentially breached the Coalition agreement," she told ABC's RN Breakfast.

Asked if Mr Morrison had breached the agreement, Mr Littleproud said: "Well, yes".

"But more importantly he breached his agreement with the Australian people, that's the most important agreement."

The Coalition agreement has always been secret, meaning it's impossible to verify if and how the secret ministries scandal constituted a breach.

Mr Littleproud suggested Mr Morrison had undermined the central premise of the power-sharing deal by not consulting and advising the Nationals about the appointments.

"That's the premise of the agreement, not unilateral decisions by one party over the other," he said.

Mr Littleproud hasn't called on Mr Morrison to resign, saying the former minister's future was a matter for him.

Tensions between the Coalition partners flared in the wake of the federal election defeat, with vanquished Liberals blaming the Nationals for costing them votes.

Queensland senator Matt Canavan's mid-campaign statement that net zero was "dead" was seen as particularly damaging for Liberals such as Mr Falinski, who were trying to fend off pro-climate teal independents.

"The Liberals lost 15-20 seats because of how we got painted [on climate policy]," Mr Falinski said.

Mr Joyce, who returned to the Nationals leadership in June 2021, stressed he did not support a presidential-style of government, describing Mr Morrison's move as "wrong" though not illegal.

Mr Pitt was returned to the frontbench after Mr Joyce retook the deputy prime ministership, securing an extra portfolio for the Nationals in the process.

Mr Joyce said it would have put the junior Coalition partner between "a rock and a hard place" had Mr Morrison's secret ministries gone public while he was in power.

"Do you want to go to war on this and not get a minister, or keep more numbers than you're entitled to in cabinet and go on to fight another day? That's what I'd be saying," he said.

"He would have said: 'You're not entitled to [another] Nationals minister' and taken it back."

Mr Morrison has only conceded using his secret powers once, to override Mr Pitt on a NSW gas project believed a threat to Liberals in so-called teal seats.

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Mr Joyce was not aware of Mr Morrison's covert powers until after that decision was made.

He insisted the value of the extra portfolio gained was not undermined by the fact Mr Morrison had the power to override Mr Pitt's decisions.

"I found Keith an incredibly astute and cogent advocate and narrator of his portfolio. I wanted him there. That was more important to me," he said.

Former home affairs minister Karen Andrews, who has called for Mr Morrison to resign from parliament, revealed she received an apology from her former boss on Thursday.

Ms Andrews was the last impacted minister to receive a personal apology, and the most vociferous critic of Mr Morrison's actions.

Coalition leader Peter Dutton has been distancing himself from Mr Morrison, on Thursday saying his colleagues were "rightly angry" over the "inappropriate" power grab.

"He's apologised for it, he's no longer occupying the office and there's not much more. You can continue to trail over it but it's all out there now," he told 2GB radio.

Mr Dutton said his former leader should personally apologise to Ms Andrews.