One of the hallmarks of Tony Abbott's government was its close relationship with Sydney's conservative Daily Telegraph newspaper and hostility to a broad cross-section of other media outlets.

So when Malcolm Turnbull took over, Liberal strategists promised a new approach to media relations, including a policy of no longer playing favourites and fewer "drops", also known as a government pre-briefing on a specific "announceable" or new policy.

And over the weekend, that policy was put into practice after Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss gave western Sydney MPs a secret briefing on the draft airport plan and the draft environmental impact statement for Sydney's Badgerys Creek airport last Wednesday.

Fairfax Media has been told that some MPs raised objections in a meeting between Mr Truss and Liberal MPs including Paul Fletcher, John Alexander, Alex Hawke, Fiona Scott, Russell Matheson, Nickolas Varvaris, Craig Kelly and Louise Markus about the newspaper being dropped the story ahead of time.