The moderate faction is also not discounting trying again to unseat conservative Craig Kelly in his seat of Hughes, while also taking the seat of Bennelong given the expected retirement of John Alexander.

On Thursday, The Australian Financial Review reported that Liberal Party conservatives opposed to the central recommendation of the Finkel report - a clean energy target - have long stopped listening to Mr Abbott and are rallying behind Assistant Cities Minister Angus Taylor.

One hardened conservative said on Thursday that this group, of which he is a part, wanted to influence the policy process whereas Mr Abbott's motives were broader.

"I'm trying to fix a problem, I'm not trying to wreck the government or bring down the leader," he said.

Mr Abbott is increasingly alienating himself from his old support base due to what sources describe as the disingenuous positions he is taking on policy, often contradicting him self.

On Wednesday, Mr Abbott insisted that the Paris climate change targets of reducing emissions by 26 per cent to 28 per cent on 2005 levels, which he agreed to as prime minister, were only aspirational. Had they been binding, he would never have agreed to them.

Industry Minister Arthur Sinodinos echoed the views of many when he hit back later than night, agreeing it was clear at the time the targets were more than aspirational.

"It was more than an aspiration. And the important thing is, we sign these things in all seriousness, and we do that conscious that as a small country, international agreements are very important to us," he said.

"Just look at all the agreements we've got on the trade side. We sign up to these things in all seriousness, we undertake the obligations, because we then put an obligation on others to do their fair share as well.

"And we're not going to get anywhere if people think we'll just sign agreements and then walk away when it's convenient for us."

The Turnbull government will almost certainly settle on a clean energy target, but one that will classify so-called clean coal as a low-emissions energy source in a bid to win the support of a bitterly divided party room.