Prime Minister Scott Morrison and senior Liberals are openly encouraging the former New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian to run as the party's candidate in Warringah at next year's federal election.
Ms Berejiklian suddenly quit as her state's premier in September after being named as the subject of an Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) inquiry.
However, Liberal figures have been quietly sounding her out about a tilt at federal politics, believing she could be the party's best chance at reclaiming the once-safe seat of Warringah, currently held by Independent Zali Steggall.
Despite the stunning evidence and phone taps presented at the ICAC inquiry, Liberals have been buoyed by polling published in Nine papers last month suggesting Ms Berejiklian's "likeability" had rebounded after her appearance at those hearings.
Mr Morrison appears to have picked up on this sentiment, recently launching an extraordinary attack on the ICAC, likening the watchdog to a "kangaroo court" that had "done over" Ms Berejiklian.
On Monday, he continued his criticism, saying the former premier had been the victim of a "pile-on" and was a person of "great integrity".
"I think this is a great opportunity, if Gladys wishes to run, but that's up to her," he told reporters.
The Prime Minister sidestepped repeated questions about the ICAC investigation itself, which is inquiring into whether Ms Berejiklian breached public trust, saying he would "let the people decide".
"There is no suggestion of criminal conduct by Gladys Berejiklian, none whatsoever," he said.
"Gladys was put in a position of actually having to stand down and there were no findings of anything.
Ministers express support for Berejiklian
Earlier, Finance Minister Simon Birmingham said he would "love" to see Ms Berejiklian run for the seat, saying she had shown "exceptional leadership" in public office.
"Gladys has been a friend of mine for decades and I know she has immense and incredible talent, but that's entirely her call," he told ABC News Breakfast.
Environment Minister Sussan Ley said voters were dismayed by the former premier's treatment during the ICAC investigation and the public hearings into her relationship with disgraced former state MP Daryl Maguire.
"What I trust [are] the voters' reactions," she said.
"And I was actually quite surprised with the number of people [who] came to me and said they really didn't like this, and that's how they described the process. And it was pretty awful.
"And did it need to play out in such a way, on our TV screens? I don't think so."
The Liberals lost Warringah for the first time at the 2019 election when Ms Steggall, a former Olympic skier, won the seat, defeating the former prime minister Tony Abbott.
Heading into the 2022 election, both sides believe the election will be patchy because of the pandemic's varying effect on the states and territories and will come down to hand-to-hand combat in certain seats.
The coalition needs to hold all of its 75 seats and pick up at least one more to govern in its own right, while offsetting anticipated losses in WA and Victoria.
Labor heads into the election with a notional 69 seats, meaning it would need to win another seven to form a majority government.
The opposition is hoping to make integrity an election issue, as the government's commitment to establish a federal corruption watchdog continues to be delayed.
It is not yet clear when the ICAC will finish its investigation but Ms Berejiklian has until next month to decide whether to run.
Federal Labor Leader Anthony Albanese said the speculation about Ms Berejiklian was "getting a bit absurd".
"I note this ongoing obsession by the media with a premier who is still subject to proceedings under the ICAC," he said.
"I think people should allow those processes to take their course."
Ms Steggall said voters in Warringah want a credible climate policy and a federal integrity commission.
"I think popularity is one thing, but position on issues still really matter, so people have an issue with trust, especially in the federal government, right?," she said.
"The fact that Scott Morrison hasn't introduced a federal integrity commission really bothers people.
"So, yes, personality and politics can be important but at the end of the day, electorates like Warringah are actually saying, "We want a real position on issues. We have got important problems we need to deal with."
