Former prime minister Tony Abbott is urging Liberal voters to stick 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, ahead of the state election in November.

The Victorian Coalition parties continue to trail Labor in the polls, with a Newspoll published in The Australian on Saturday pointing to a third term for the Andrews government.

Labor has a 56-44 per cent two-party-­preferred lead, compared with 58-42 per cent in the previous Newspoll and the 2018 election result of 57-42 per cent.

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 on Sunday.

“A Liberal Party that stands for things, that fights for things, always has the hope of victory, the scent of victory in its nostrils.”

Liberals’ donor scandal

Integrity is a key issue among voters in 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 wouldn’t be drawn on the state Liberals’ donor scandal involving Mr Guy’s former chief of staff Mitch Catlin.

Victorian Liberal MPs face more independent challenges in traditional heartland seats such as Kew, Sandringham and Hawthorn after several of their federal colleagues were ousted by a “teal” wave at May’s federal election.

With Coalition needing 18 seats to govern in its own right, Mr Abbott said voters should understand that casting their ballot for teal independents would 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 was due to give a speech to rank-and-file members at a Victorian Liberals state council meeting on Sunday.

-AAP