Josh Frydenberg, who previously held the role of federal treasurer, has indicated that a return to parliament remains an open possibility, with no deadline pressing him toward a decision given that the next federal election sits roughly 18 months out.
Speaking on television, Frydenberg flagged that the Liberal Party's poll numbers had dropped to a record low, pointing to decisions made under Angus Taylor's leadership as a contributing factor. He conveyed through that appearance that the party faces a threat to its continued existence and that Taylor has attracted criticism from a broad range of sources.
Passages from Frydenberg's forthcoming memoir — anticipated to contain policy proposals — have fed conjecture about a return to parliament, a question he addressed by noting that no door had been firmly shut on his part, though he saw no need to arrive at any decision in haste. With the vote still 18 months off, he noted that the next election had not yet drawn near.
Speaking to reporters in Canberra on Monday, Liberal Party leader Angus Taylor said Frydenberg would be welcome back within the party, adding that anyone who cared about the country's future — a group he placed Frydenberg in — had reason to work toward unseating the Labor government. Taylor extended that same openness to Nationals and others aligned with the coalition.
Frydenberg's parliamentary record included holding the Kooyong electorate from 2010 through 2022 and serving as treasurer under Scott Morrison across a period that covered the COVID-19 pandemic. At the 2022 election, independent MP Monique Ryan claimed the seat, drawing just under 53 per cent of the two-party preferred vote to unseat him. Voters at that election cited dissatisfaction over the government's handling of climate change policy during his tenure.
Ryan expressed no concern about the prospect of Frydenberg contesting the seat, telling a television outlet that his history with the Kooyong community was something she acknowledged, while the outcome either way left her indifferent.
Ahead of the next election cycle, Shadow Treasurer Tim Wilson urged party members to put their names forward as candidates, describing broader participation as a step toward rebuilding the Liberal Party's capacity to compete at the ballot box, at a time when voter unease over the former government's economic record had weighed on its electoral performance. Speaking to a broadcaster, Wilson expressed the view that an Angus Taylor-led government was the desired outcome, and that those seeking public office needed to demonstrate both the resolve and the willingness to accept the personal costs that such positions demand.
