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 made headlines at the event 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 made public. Frydenberg has also pushed back on criticism of the spending that occurred under his watch as treasurer, bringing budget decisions back into focus alongside the political positioning.