Alan Jones, one of the Coalition's highest-profile media backers, says the Turnbull government is failing to learn from its mistakes and could benefit from an electoral thrashing.

"I tell you what. These people just deserve to be smashed in an election to make them wake up," the conservative 2GB pundit declared on Monday during his show, which reigns supreme in its breakfast timeslot and is syndicated in NSW and Queensland.

The undisputed king of Sydney talkback radio, Jones has long been associated with the Liberals and Nationals but has recently diverged from the Coalition on hot-button issues, in particular over mining in agricultural areas. The conservative broadcaster has increasingly talked up the resurgent One Nation Party.

"There's a golden rule, whether it's in sport or politics: people will only repair the house when it's burnt down. And it seems that these people are waiting for the house to be burnt down," he told Fairfax Media after his show.