Malcolm Turnbull recounts his 'surreal Monty Python moment' with the Department of Infrastructure

Mr Turnbull discussed the "big innovation" of multi-million dollar investment-driving city deals, a signature of his time in government, during a presentation on cities, planning and architecture on Wednesday at the National Press Club with his wife, former Sydney Lord Mayor, Lucy Turnbull.

A city deal is an urban renewal partnership between three levels of government, community and the private sector introduced in 2015. Mr Turnbull said it also gets senior public servants "around the table" to agree on what is wanted and who is going to pay.

The largest of the city deals is the Western Sydney City Partnership which made the second Sydney airport possible, while the ACT is the largest jurisdiction not to have a city deal.

Mr Turnbull described the "Monty Python elements" when he took the city deals to cabinet.

"When I brought to cabinet as PM, obviously, the PM brings something to cabinet [it] generally gets through the cabinet. That is how the system works," he said.

"But I had a bit of resistance on this occasion, because I was saying that the commonwealth should take an interest in these city deals, should be prepared to take an interest in the economic infrastructure, its funding, otherwise be an owner."

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But he said the Department of Infrastructure wrote a comment on the cabinet proposal that moving from making grants to taking an investment in the infrastructure was a risk.

"So instead of just giving the state a billion dollars to build something, we put a billion dollars in and took a share of it. They said if we take an investment rather than making a grant, there is a risk that the commonwealth won't get all of its money back," Mr Turnbull said.

To laughs, he added, "As opposed to a grant where there is absolutely no risk that you'll get none of your money back!"

"These are the surreal moments that confront someone who goes into politics that are from an advanced age who sometimes wonders it's a different world."

Mr Turnbull on Tuesday accused his successor Scott Morrison of "showboating" with his recent "solidarity trip" to Israel with former UK prime minister Boris Johnson.