the party entered into a temporary merger with the democratic labor party, standing on a centrist platform as the "national alliance" in both the march 1974 state election and the may 1974 federal election. the alliance contested most of the state seats and every single federal seat, standing in many metropolitan seats for the first time. however, in both elections the party lost votes and seats compared to the combined performance of its component parties in previous elections, losing its last seats in the federal house of representatives and one of two senators. the national alliance was dissolved soon afterwards and the now-renamed national country party reverted to its traditional approach of contesting just rural seats afterwards. in the 1977 federal election the party's last senator, tom drake-brockman, retired and his seat was lost. the party would not win another federal seat until the 2010 federal election.