Right faction figures have been agitating for the former prime minister to be promoted but Mr Andrews' comments, appealing to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to be "magnanimous" and "practical", are some of the most forthright so far. Dumped as defence minister by Mr Turnbull when he became leader, the Melbourne MP said the party's frontbench and policy platform should reflect the conservative and classical liberal traditions of the Liberal Party. The Prime Minister is set to unveil a modified ministry in the coming week, likely to include rising conservative stars like Michael Sukkar and Zed Seselja, but he has previously poured cold water on the suggestion that Mr Abbott might return to the cabinet table. "You have to look at what the base did and a significant proportion of the base deserted us. They went to minor parties and independents and we need to win them back," Mr Andrews, now "Father of the House" as the longest-serving MP in the House of Representatives, said on Wednesday. "I think there were mistakes in our campaign, there were issues that arose and we've snuck across the line."

"If you look at the issues that were raised with me, the most significant one was superannuation. The Medicare scare by Labor did cut." A group of backbench MPs is reportedly seeking to wind back elements of the government's proposed crackdown on high-end superannuation, including the lifetime cap on non-concessional contributions and tightening the annual limit on contributions that receive a concessional tax rate. They have been told to find alternative savings or revenue measures and the Prime Minister said on Thursday that the government would stick with the policies it took to the election. Mr Andrews expressed concern about potential retrospectivity and said people should be encouraged, with policy certainty, to be self-reliant rather than drawing government payments. He said the Coalition was "a bit too complacent about the way in which we conducted the campaign and I think if we had our time over again we would have been much more negative, much more quickly," including on trade unions.