Former prime minister Tony Abbott is rallying the Liberal faithful to stick fat with Victorian party leader Matthew Guy after a fresh bout of poor polling.
Mr Abbott flew into Melbourne for a Liberal party fundraiser at Preston in the city's north on Saturday night, just under three months until the November election.
The Victorian coalition continues to trail Labor in the polls, with the latest Newspoll from Saturday suggesting the Andrews government is on track for a third term.
Labor holds a 56-44 per cent two-party-preferred lead, compared with 58-42 per cent in the previous Newspoll and 57-42 per cent result at the 2018 election.
Dissatisfaction with Mr Guy's performance has risen seven points since November, two months after toppling Michael O'Brien in a leadership challenge.
But Mr Abbott believes the Victorian Liberal Nationals can turn the tables, citing the 2010 federal election when he led the coalition to 72 lower house seats and forced Labor into minority government.
"No one thought we had a chance in 2010 and we did extremely well against a first term government because we had a strong sense of what we stood for," he told Sky News.
"A Liberal party that stands for things, that fights for things, always has the hope of victory, the scent of victory in its nostrils."
Integrity is seen by voters as a key issue for the November 26 state election, as both major parties head to the polls with questions over their heads.
Mr Abbott described the Andrews government as ethically challenged but would not be drawn on the state Liberals' donor scandal involving Mr Guy's former chief of staff Mitch Catlin.
Victorian Liberal MPs are facing more independent challenges in traditional heartland seats such as Kew, Sandringham and Hawthorn after several of their federal colleagues were ousted by the "teal" wave at May's federal election.
Needing 18 seats to reclaim government outright, Mr Abbott said voters should understand that casting their ballot for teals will keep Labor in power.
"The Andrews government is probably one of the worst governments Australia has ever had," he said.
"If you want to keep the Andrews government, vote teal. If you want to change the Andrews government vote Liberal. Simple as that."
Mr Guy is due to give a speech to rank-and-file members at a Victorian Liberals state council meeting on Sunday.
