Josh Frydenberg is facing fresh questions about a return to federal politics while promoting his memoir, "A Grateful Son." The response from Liberal MPs has been lukewarm, and Barnaby Joyce was blunt, calling a Frydenberg leadership push "very bad." John Howard drew attention at the book launch with a cheeky remark about his former treasurer's ambitions.

Some political commentators have thrown their support behind Frydenberg over other potential Liberal candidates, but no formal move has been announced. Frydenberg has also defended the large-scale spending that occurred under his watch as treasurer, bringing budget decisions back into focus alongside the leadership speculation.