Unfortunately the Coalition is killing the Nationals but unfortunately the Nationals aren't representing their constituents either. On the positive side, the Nationals have been around longer than the Democrats and have outlasted the Democrats so attaching themselves to a political party no matter what has mean their survival has lasted this long.

Unfortunately those living in coastal metropolitan areas don't give a rats about people in rural area, apparently they're all farmers, they're not. Most cockies are the upper class of rural areas just like the affluent suburbs in the city.

Whenever some tries to improve something in a country area, its just the whinging farmers and I thought you were supposed to be self sufficient. Let's turn that on its head and look at the major urban centres of the various states and when those people whine about transport, the State Governments if not the Federal government steps right in and gives them exactly what they want. Clearly because that is where the political capital is and that's how they will get re-elected. A good example is the train system in NSW which there is nothing wrong with but people complain about it all the time.

Sure sometimes the trains are late due to track maintenance but mostly it is the amount of time it takes people to get on board and disembark. Perhaps catch an earlier train if possible.

Or instead of closing a hospital in the country, close one in the city as the next one is only around the corner instead of several 100kms away.

How does this relate back to the Nationals decline? They're not getting anything done for their non-farm constituents and that's mostly why independents are being elected. They might bring up the issues with the coalition partners but being the junior partner and bringing next to no political capital, they can ignore them.

The coastal metro areas want everyone in the country to move to the city into cramped quarters, high pace, high stress environments and put more strain on alleged failing infrastructure. There's even complaints about not enough land in some places in urban areas at the moment.

Doesn't it make more sense to move beyond the metro areas for land and build out there and increase country populations eventually creating economies of scales for industries, new grounds for entrepreneurs and employment and a levelling of all playing fields for urban and country areas alike?

After all remove the affluent of country areas and maybe even including them, the median income is a lot lower than urban centres, so it is more affordable and comfortable for those of coastal metro areas to move to the country than the unaffordable country alternative of moving to the metro areas?

All this foul crying about infrastructure, build, fix, replace the infrastructure in the country areas and there will be a new economic boom.

Again unfortunately for the Nationals and their farm constituents, all their oligopoly industries have been completely deregulated straight into feudal capitalism which just means the affluent stay that way and the less affluent can never rise above it. And lets face it there is not a lot of intellect in the Nationals for the most part, they say the stupidest things but at least they're forthright unlike the increasingly conservative snobbish other parties and their constituents who can't fathom attachment to the land, ownership of property and just want to jetset about the world.

So yes the coalition is killing the nats but the greens will kill the rest of the country areas and there is not a single party that gives a damn.

There are solutions but no one is interested.