The Liberal National leadership is supportive of the plans revealed earlier by Senator Barnaby Joyce to switch into the House of Representative, purportedly in preparation for the election of a Coalition government next year.

However, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has made clear on Tuesday that in the event he ascends to the Prime Minister post on 2013, his automatic choice as the Deputy Prime Minister would be Warren Truss, currently the Nationals leader.

"(Joyce) is a very important member of a very strong coalition and a very effective National party team led by Warren Truss, who is going to be the deputy prime minister of the next coalition government," Abbott was quoted by the Australian Associated Press (AAP) as saying while in Queensland on Tuesday.

The Opposition Leader was on a campaign swing against the Labor government-introduced carbon tax, media reports said.

Abbott added that Joyce's plan of joining the lower house of the Parliament would serve as an added asset for the Coalition not only in securing the much touted win of the opposition in the federal elections next year but also in running the new government.

"Barnaby has been a terrific team player. He's been a great colleague," the Opposition Leader said of the hugely popular Nationals senator.

However, the matter of determining the Nationals leadership question was beyond him, Abbott stressed, and should be settled by leaders and members of the Australian National Party.

Yet for now, since Truss is the Nationals leader, he remains the logical choice to assume the Deputy Prime Minister post in the event of a Coalition win next year, Abbott said.

Reports have emerged that Joyce mulls a challenge on the Nationals leadership as his main reason in seeking a elective post in the house on 2013, which he flatly denied.

Supporters of the Queensland Nationals said that the only definite for now is Joyce would vacate his Senate seat in exchange for a run in the lower house.

The Senator was not even decided on what seat to represent in case his plans push through, media reports said.

Analysts said a run in Queensland for Joyce would put him in a direct collision with another Nationals stalwart, Bruce Scott, who may opt to seek re-election for his Maranoa seat in the Parliament.

The likely path for the Nationals headliner would be in New South Wales, where he could contest the seat currently occupied by independent MP Tony Windsor, who was a former Nationals but is now fair game for the party since he normally votes with the ruling Labor party.