The Liberal Party is seeking to install former Labor national president Warren Mundine as its candidate in the NSW seat of Gilmore at the upcoming federal election.
A internal process was reportedly under way on Tuesday to overturn the existing Liberal candidate Grant Schultz's local preselection and replace him with Mr Mundine, in a move which has the backing of Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
One report suggested Mr Morrison will do a media event with Mr Mundine in the NSW south coast seat as early as Wednesday, should the party executive endorse the new candidate.
Sitting Gilmore MP Anne Sudmalis will retire at the next election.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg refused on Tuesday to confirm whether Mr Mundine was set to announce his candidacy.
"Those issues and the selection of candidates are matters for local branches - that's one of the great strengths of the Liberal party as opposed to the Labor party," Mr Frydenberg told reporters in Sydney.
"We attract people from all walks of life."
Mr Mundine was the ALP's national president from 2006 to 2007, before he quit the party in 2012. He recently considered running for a seat for a number of conservative parties, after being unsuccessful in winning preselection for a Labor seat.
"He was unsuccessful in the Labor Party. It's a free country you can run for whatever party will have you," Labor leader Bill Shorten told reporters in central Queensland.
"I do make this point about the seat of Gilmore. The Liberal Party replaced a woman with a man and a man who wants to put nuclear reactors in Australia, including Jervis Bay."
Mr Mundine in November last year publicly called for nuclear power in Australia.
He declined to rule out the seat of Gilmore playing host to such a power station.
Labor candidate Fiona Phillips has a strong chance of picking up the seat, which has a margin of just 0.73 per cent.
