The events of the past few weeks have been the most absurd farrago Canberra has seen since Rob Oakeshott took 17 minutes to say he would put Labor back into office after the 2010 election.

They have been no more, and no less, than a cynical attempt to bow to the inevitable on climate policy while, at the same time, winning massive concessions from the senior Coalition partner in the hope of avoiding malign electoral consequences in 2022.

The Nationals do not seem to care about the wishes of their constituents, the impact of climate change or even the ultimate fate of human life on earth. Many believe their only concern is their own political survival.

If they were listening to their constituents they would have been on board for net zero by 2050 long ago. A Climate Council survey earlier this year revealed a majority of voters in every federal electorate - including those held by The Nationals - want urgent action on climate change.

The party is also out of step with peak agricultural and mining industry organisations which have been focusing on how to transition to a carbon-free economy for years now.

The same goes for some of our biggest companies. As far as Rio Tinto, BHP, and Fortescue Metals are concerned the question of whether or not that transition should occur was settled last decade.

It's only days since Rio's new chief executive, Jakob Stausholm, said the company would spend $10 billion to treble its carbon reduction targets from 15 per cent to 50 per cent by 2030.

Fortescue and BHP are already even further down the same road. Andrew Forrest recently lost his cool with Mr Joyce saying: "You might crack a few more votes at the coming election, but after this coming election you will be seen for what you are - just a fearmonger trying to save your political job, not the jobs of every regional Australian".

Mr Forrest cut straight to the heart of the matter.

Last week's chatter, based on comments by Matt Canavan that if a business arrangement - in this case the Coalition agreement - wasn't working you walked away, that the Coalition could split was the Furphy of the decade.

The Coalition agreement works splendidly for The Nationals and always has done. While, in the past, it has given us leaders of the calibre of Tim Fischer, those days appear to be long gone.

A cynic would think it highly unlikely Mr Joyce or the other Nationals in cabinet would ever willingly relinquish their ministerial salaries and perks of high office.

To resign over a matter of principle you have to have principles - and many would say the Nationals have shown they don't.

The greatest concern about any final deal between the Liberals and the Nationals is that its final terms will, like the details of the Coalition agreement, be shrouded in secrecy. Australians will never know what price was paid to get Mr Joyce's band across the line.

That said, much will become clearer when funding promises are made ahead of the next election and the Nationals try to buy back voters who may be drifting to Clive Palmer or the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers.

If everything is above board and the government has nothing to hide why not make the terms of any deal public? A very large chunk of taxpayers' money is about to be slung in the Nationals direction. Voters have a right to know what is going on.