Queensland MP Colin Boyce launched an attempt to trigger a leadership spill on Monday afternoon, but it didn't secure the backer needed to prompt a formal vote.
Nationals whip Michelle Landry announced the result to the waiting press while the party room meeting continued.
"We're all working together," she said.Â
"And our goal is to work sensibly with our colleagues and just get on with the good opposition against the Labor Party."
Prior to the meeting, Mr Boyce was realistic about unseating the incumbent.
"David Littleproud will remain the leader and he will be comprehensively voted in," he told ABC Radio.
It follows nearly two weeks of infighting between the former coalition parties triggered by a split vote on Labor's controversial hate speech laws.
The backbencher said he was moving the motion as the Nationals were committing "political suicide" by trying to move ahead without the Liberal Party's support.
"I'm hoping to achieve a change of leadership in the National Party and the Liberal Party, and then I hope that we can form a coalition agreement, wipe the slate clean, get rid of the egos and personalities, start afresh," Mr Boyce said.
The motion was widely expected among Nationals members to fail, but many expressed an urgent need to reunite with the Liberals.
Darren Chester is expected to use the party meeting to move a motion to reinstate the coalition, saying "the things that unite us are bigger than things that divide us".
"Every moment we spend talking about ourselves, is a free pass to a weak and divisive prime minister who has failed to keep his promises to lower energy bills and govern for all Australians," he said on Facebook.
"Australia deserves a better government which has policies to unite the country and programs aimed at bridging the gap in services between city and country people."
After the party room meeting, Mr Littleproud and embattled Opposition Leader Sussan Ley will hold talks on Monday evening to negotiate reforming the coalition.
Ms Ley earlier announced an interim Liberal-only shadow cabinet, giving the Nationals a week-long deadline to decide whether the split would be made permanent.
If the parties aren't reunited by the second sitting week, the Liberals plan to promote six of their MPs to the shadow cabinet and two to the outer shadow ministry.
25°C