Barnaby Joyce has accused the Liberal Party of “firing the first shot” in a civil war with the Nationals that threatens to render the Coalition “completely and utterly chaotic”.

The former deputy PM said on Wednesday that Scott Morrison had to decide how he would respond to the “clear breach” of the agreed voting ticket between the Nationals and the Liberals, but noted the Coalition agreement will need to be renegotiated after Saturday’s election.

The Nationals are angry that Liberals at pre-poll booths are urging voters to ignore the official ticket and instead support Liberal Senator Jim Molan, who had been dumped to an unwinnable fourth Senate spot.

Liberal MP John Alexander has been caught on tape urging a vote for Senator Molan. Liberal frontbencher Angus Taylor’s volunteers have been filmed doing the same, at the expense of the Coalition’s third-placed candidate, the Nationals’ Perin Davey.

“First of all, they fired the first shot,” Mr Joyce told The New Daily.

“That is completely at odds with the Coalition agreement.

“If the Coalition agreement became fractured, bellicose then it would be completely and utterly chaotic. Both sides would lose.”

‘Vote for Jim Molan in the senate’ card. Photo:TND

The Nationals fear the Liberals’ political games could cost them a NSW Senate seat for the first time since Federation.

In response, the Nationals said on Wednesday that they would also release their own Senate voting ticket to protect their candidate.

“There is no point having a Coalition agreement, asking for good faith, and then breaking it because – naturally enough – if one side breaks the agreement, the other side breaks the agreement,” Mr Joyce, a former Nationals leader, said.

“They are doing it because they have to, not because they want it.”

Mr Joyce said Mr Morrison had to decide how he would respond to the fracas.

“I am not here to tell Scott Morrison what to do. We can choose to work together or we can choose not to,” he said.

“The Coalition agreement is always renegotiated after an election. And, you know, that’s a question for the respective leaders to decide how the election was played and what they do next.”

Angry Nationals have called leader Michael McCormack as “weak as piss” on the issue, but Mr Joyce said Mr McCormack was doing his best.

“I know he would have the Nationals’ interests at heart,” he said.

Mr Joyce said the Liberals’ conduct also threatened to reduce the Coalition’s female representation.

“She (Ms Davey) is our No.1 candidate for the National Party. We are trying to proactively follow what people want, which is more female representation,” he said.

The New Daily has obtained audio of Mr Alexander – the member for Bennelong – at a pre-poll booth openly urging a voter to support Senator Molan. That is a clear contravention of the Coalition’s offical Senate ticket.

In the recording, Mr Alexander is introduced to a woman who claims to be a “new voter” in the area asking how she should vote in the Senate.

“That’s how you should vote for the Senate. Unless you want to vote for Jim Molan, which you may well,” Mr Alexander says.

“And then you’ve got to fill out all 12. So you put Jim in front, and then vote like that. OK? Lovely.”

Video footage shows Liberal Party volunteers wearing Angus Taylor T-shirts urging voters to ignore the Coalition ticket and elevate Senator Molan to boost his chances of survival.

The female volunteers explain in detail how to vote for Senator Molan below the line – in contravention of the Coalition ticket – telling a voter “You’ve got it” at the end of the instruction.

It is understood the NSW Liberal Party also has photographic surveillance of a former state MP handing out Senator Molan’s rogue ‘how to vote cards’ instead of the Liberal Party ticket.

At the Darley Street pre-poll booth in Manly, NSW, former Liberal MP Bruce Baird was also seen berating a volunteer in a Tony Abbott T-shirt for openly handing out two how-to-vote brochures – one for Tony Abbott and the Liberal Senate ticket and one for Jim Molan’s vote-below-the-line campaign.

“You can’t be doing this. Our party has voted on this,” Mr Baird was overheard saying.

Independent candidate Zali Steggall confirmed she had witnessed the exchange. She said the Liberals were urging votersat “every pre-poll in Warringah” to ignore the Coalition ticket to save Senator Molan.

“They are destabilising their very own party,” Ms Steggall said.

Ms Davey accused Senator Molan of breaking the Coalition agreement to keep his job.

“It is an absolute risk for the Nationals in what Jim Molan is doing,” she said. “It goes against the Coalition agreement.”

The New Daily has contacted Mr Alexander, Senator Molan and the Liberal Party campaign HQ for comment.