Josh Frydenberg eyes a return to politics after giving up his Melbourne seat in humiliating defeat

Former federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg is believed to be seriously considering running again for his old Melbourne seat of Kooyong in the May 2025 election.

Mr Frydenberg, 52, lost the Blue Ribbon seat to Monique Ryan in the 2022 election – one of a series of previously safe Liberal seats lost to so-called Teal candidates.

Two months after his defeat, he joined investment banker Goldman Sachs as a senior regional advisor for the Asia-Pacific region, based in its Melbourne office.

In September, Mr Frydenberg said he was not interested in running again and was instead promoted to chairman of Goldman Sachs Australia and New Zealand.

But Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel on October 7 led to him contacting several Australian political leaders about anti-Semitic protests.

Former federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg (pictured with wife Amie) is said to be considering reclaiming his old seat of Kooyong in Melbourne

That in turn led some Jewish community and Liberal Party leaders to ask him to reconsider his decision not to run for re-election. Sunday Telegraph reported.

Mr Frydenberg was also reportedly shown an internal Liberal Party poll which showed he could win back Dr Ryan's seat if he challenged her, and was more likely to be able to do so than any other liberal candidate.

A Liberal MP said the former treasurer had “kicked the tires” about running again and that “he's certainly been on his feet lately.”

One of the reasons why Dr. Ryan might be vulnerable is due to the high-profile lawsuit filed against her by her former advisor Sally Rugg.

Ms Rugg claimed the MP breached the general protections of the Fair Work Act and was awarded almost $100,000 in an out-of-court settlement in April.

Another reason the seat could be in play is because of the declining fortunes of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Labor government.

In the latest Newspoll poll, Labor's vote fell by four points to 31 percent in just three weeks, while the Coalition's vote rose by one point to 38 percent – the highest support since the May 2022 election.

Albanese's personal approval rating, which fell two points to 40 percent, is now at the same level as Liberal Leader Peter Dutton.

Ny Breaking Australia has contacted Mr Frydenberg for comment.

Mr Frydenberg, 52, lost the Blue Ribbon seat to Monique Ryan (pictured) in the 2022 election – one of a series of previously safe Liberal seats lost to so-called Teal candidates