Joe Hockey

AAP

JOE Hockey has confirmed he will contest any ballot for the federal Liberal leadership on Tuesday.

But MPs and senators first will have to agree to a spill of the leadership, his office says.

His office also confirmed that Mr Hockey would be offering Liberal MPs and senators a free vote on Labor legislation setting up the carbon pollution reduction scheme.

Mr Hockey joins leader Malcolm Turnbull and former frontbencher Tony Abbott as confirmed starters for a leadership ballot.

Kevin Andrews, who made a tilt for the top job last week, has yet to confirm whether he will run.

Mr Turnbull says he is confident he will survive a leadership challenge.

He says he believes he will hold his position because he has a "clear consistent position on taking action on climate change".

"For us to be a credible political party... we have to have a credible position on climate change," he told the Seven Network.

"I have been quite consistent about that."

He said the amended emissions trading scheme legislation should be passed.

"The government agreed with most of what we asked for, we went back to our partyroom, our partyroom said fine, let's do the deal, let's agree on it, let's work together and go forward, and that bill should be passed," he said.

Mr Turnbull denied the majority of the Liberal Party disagreed with him over emissions trading.

"The numbers have all been published," he said.

"There was a majority in the joint party room, a slender one to be fair, but in the Liberal party room... there was a very solid majority against it (opposing the emissions trading legislation).

"But remember, a number of people didn't like the decision of the majority on the Tuesday and so called for a spill against my leadership... and that spill was defeated by 48 to 35.

"The partyroom has dealt with this twice and it has supported me and we are now going to deal with it a third time today."

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