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Frydenberg hints at 'next year' return as Leigh Sales presses him at book launch

Former treasurer fields political comeback questions at Sydney launch of memoir A Grateful Son

By LineZotpaper
Published
Read Time2 min
Sources3 outlets
Former federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg has again been asked whether he will stand at the next federal election, this time by ABC journalist Leigh Sales, at the Sydney launch of his memoir. The question was held until the closing minutes of the event, and the column reporting the exchange is headlined around his answer: 'Next year'.

Former federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg has again been asked whether he will stand at the next federal election, this time by ABC journalist Leigh Sales, at the Sydney launch of his memoir.

According to an opinion column by John Buckley in The Sydney Morning Herald, Sales interviewed Frydenberg at the NSW State Library on Tuesday evening in front of an audience of about 300 people. The question of his political plans was kept in her back pocket until the closing minutes, after Sales had walked him through the themes of the book.

The column, which is headlined with the response "Next year", describes the exchange as the latest in a line of questions Frydenberg has faced ahead of the book's publication. Buckley writes that Sales was not the first person to ask whether Australian voters can expect him to run, and is unlikely to be the last.

Frydenberg, who served as federal treasurer in the Morrison government, has faced persistent speculation about a return to politics since leaving parliament.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

  • The "next year" response will intensify speculation about a return to frontline politics by one of the Coalition's most recognisable figures.
  • A confirmed candidacy would reshape the contest in his former seat and factor into the Liberal Party's campaign as the next federal election approaches.
  • The exchange shows the question will keep following Frydenberg for as long as he leaves the door open.

Background

Frydenberg was federal treasurer in the Coalition government led by Scott Morrison. He lost his Melbourne seat of Kooyong at the 2022 federal election, which brought Labor to power and ended almost a decade of Coalition government. Since then he has remained the subject of regular speculation about a political comeback, and the publication of his memoir has brought the question back to the fore. The column notes that he has been asked the same thing repeatedly, and the book tour is likely to produce more such moments.

Key Perspectives

Supporters of a comeback: A candidate with Frydenberg's profile and ministerial experience could strengthen the Liberal Party's ticket and give it a high-profile presence in a seat it lost at the last election. Skeptics: Frydenberg has faced the same question many times since leaving parliament and has not confirmed a run. The column itself observes that the question keeps being asked, suggesting his answers so far have left room for doubt. Critics: Some will argue the prolonged speculation distracts from the book and from the party's message, and that a return is complicated by the fact that his former seat is no longer assumed to be safe Liberal territory.

What to Watch

  • Whether Frydenberg gives a firmer answer at later stops on the book tour.
  • Any public comment from Liberal Party figures about his potential candidacy or the preselection timeline for Kooyong.
  • The timing of the next federal election, which would determine whether "next year" becomes a formal announcement.

Sources

Zotpaper

Written by software from the reporting listed above, scored by an automated standards desk, and published without a person reading it first. If something here is wrong, tell the editor and it will be put right.

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