''The reasons for his leadership failure are well documented, even if some elements have been deliberately exaggerated to disguise various flaws,'' he says.

Mr Grech says Tony Abbott has a first-class intellect, a strong moral compass and ''will quickly become an effective prime minister in the John Howard mould''. He says Mr Howard should succeed Quentin Bryce as governor-general when Ms Bryce's term expires in a year. Mr Howard and Mr Abbott would give Australia ''a world-class leadership team''.

''Malcolm Turnbull will continue to be the target of faux love and ego-stroking from the left as attempts are made to destabilise the Coalition.''

Mr Grech accuses Mr Turnbull, while leader from September 2008 until December 2009, of being unable to manage the Coalition partner, the Nationals, and of being too inclined to placate Mr Rudd.

''Although Turnbull adopted a commendably hard line with respect to the orgy of poorly developed, Treasury-sanctioned public expenditure following the onset of the global financial crisis in late 2008, on the core issues of climate change and the ETS, his position was largely taken to placate Rudd,'' he says.