Opposition leader Sussan Ley is losing support and it will take a "miracle" to turn things around, according to one of her Senate colleagues.
Liberal senator Sarah Henderson stoked fresh leadership rumblings on Friday after expressing concern with the direction of the party under Ley.
"Things are not travelling well. I do have to say, really honestly, I do think Sussan is losing support, but I do believe in miracles," she told Sky News on Friday.
"We can turn things around."
Henderson's comments come as the party contends with ruptures over the issue of net zero emissions. Coalition partner, the Nationals, formally dropped the mandate at a meeting of grassroots members.
After weeks of internal tensions, Liberal members are shortly due to decide on a position regarding whether to retain or abandon an existing goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The first partyroom meeting is scheduled to be held on 12 November for a discussion on energy and emissions reduction policies.
Henderson, who was dumped from the frontbench in May, paused when asked whether the party could turn its fortunes around with a new leader or with Ley.
"Well, I can't back in the way things are," she said.
"I've got to be authentic and I've got to be honest about that."
She said she was "not in the business of throwing anyone under the bus".
"I'm stating the bleeding obvious, we are in a dire situation," Henderson said.
Liberal senator Sarah Henderson said she is stating the obvious about the party's dire position. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas
Asked by reporters later whether other Liberals shared her concerns, she said: "A lot of my colleagues are very concerned about the way things are going."
Former Liberal leader criticises Ley
Former Liberal leader John Hewson has also criticised Ley and the party she leads amid the ongoing policy debate.
"She hasn't shown any clear strategy, or any strong capacity in terms of leadership," he told the Australian Associated Press.
Hewson, who let his membership lapse in 2019 due to concerns about the party's record on climate change, said the Opposition was lacking serious policies because its members had limited experience outside of politics.
"They haven't got people with significant business experience ... I don't think that they've got people who are policy wonks in economic policy," he said.
"You can't just keep being negative and hoping to win on criticism, as [Tony] Abbott did."
As Opposition leader, Hewson took a promise of economic reform to the 1993 federal election, which the Coalition roundly lost to Paul Keating's Labor government.
John Hewson criticised the Opposition for having little experience outside of politics. Source: AAP / Flavio Brancaleone
He was also critical of Western Australian MP Andrew Hastie, who is widely considered a potential leadership contender and has been a vocal critic of the nation's climate targets.
"He's been sold a bit of a dump by the right of the party," Hewson said, arguing Hastie's criticism of Australia's immigration program was unlikely to be popular in the broader electorate.
— With additional reporting by the Australian Associated Press
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