Josh Frydenberg has launched an attack on Angus Taylor's leadership, arguing the Liberal Party must change in the face of an existential threat.
The former treasurer, who was considered a future Liberal leader before losing his seat in 2022, has stoked speculation he will run again with the release of a new memoir, which includes criticism the party has lost touch with its roots, as well as his proposals for policy remedies.
The intervention creates a fresh headache for Taylor, who immediately shut down Frydenberg's suggestion that a Coalition government should raise the GST to offset income and business tax cuts.
Taylor returns to parliament this week after addressing the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Brisbane on Saturday, where he was heckled by One Nation loyalists in the audience and ridiculed by the next speaker, Pauline Hanson.
In his keynote speech, as the first opposition leader to appear at the annual right-wing talkfest, Taylor acknowledged the mistakes of the former Coalition government, including "more-than-was-needed" spending during the COVID pandemic, signing up to net zero, and "allowing immigration numbers to creep up, especially student and bridging visas".
On Sunday night, Frydenberg said Taylor was copping criticism from "lots of corners" by people saying the party needed to do better.
"The polls are showing that the Liberal Party is at an all-time low," Frydenberg told 60 Minutes. "And so, things have to change. Because there's something existential about the threat that I think the party now faces."
Frydenberg denied the book was a pitch for the prime ministership, but when asked if he still had aspirations to lead the country, said he had not closed that door.
"I don't need to rush to a decision. The next election is 18 months away," he said.