A Grateful Son, the first book by Josh Frydenberg – former federal treasurer, former deputy leader of the Liberal Party, and former member for Kooyong – might be regarded as one of the longest job applications in history.

He makes it clear that he has an alternative vision to the current Liberal leadership for how to return the party to power. This is most explicit in the concluding chapter, titled “a better way”. But it is also evident from comments scattered throughout.

There is, writes Frydenberg, “no goat track back to government through regional and outer suburban seats alone”. This is a blunt rejection of the strategy pursued unsuccessfully by former Liberal leader Peter Dutton and largely continued by the current leader Angus Taylor.

Frydenberg is unrepentant about the expansionary fiscal policy adopted during the Covid pandemic. By contrast, Taylor has recently apologised for “spending too much”.

A Grateful Son stakes out Frydenberg’s positions on a wide range of issues.

He acknowledges an ageing population and increased defence spending will continue to put pressure on the budget. He wants government spending to be cut, but he is shy about saying exactly where.

He advocates streamlining government functions. For example, he suggests the federal government could take full responsibility for disability support, while the states could take full responsibility for childcare.

He sees an important role for tax reform and says “negative gearing should not be sacrosanct”. He wants a national debate about lifting the GST rate and broadening its coverage. Some of the revenue raised could be used to cut income tax.

Coincidentally, the Grattan Institute has just released a similar analysis arguing we should raise the GST. Taylor was quick to slap down the idea of a GST increase, saying “that we won’t do”.

Frydenberg claims to “understand the vulnerabilities of refugees: our family owe everything to Australian benevolence”. This is a more sympathetic attitude than is currently fashionable on the right of politics.

On climate, Frydenberg states bluntly that “climate change is real […] we need to reduce our emissions”. But he is walking away from the “net zero” commitment, which he has downgraded to an “ambition”.

He regards Australia becoming a republic as “both........

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