Tony Abbott rejects claims he's sat out the NSW state election for fear of a voter backlash.
Labor has been seizing on voter disenchantment with the prime minister - as reflected in opinion polls - in its campaign to unseat the coalition government in NSW at the state election on Saturday.
State Labor leader Luke Foley says a defeat for Premier Mike Baird will also spell the end for the prime minister, who has faced leadership tensions in recent weeks and months.
"If Mr Baird goes on Saturday, Mr Abbott goes on the Monday," Mr Foley said.
Federal Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull, a former federal Liberal leader, has had a high profile during the state campaign. He's attended fundraisers and he gave his voice to so-called "robo-calls" by the party to voters in key seats.
Mr Abbott, who attended the Liberal state campaign launch but did not speak at it, maintains he's had a solid role in the campaign.
"I've done a number of events with the premier in the course of the campaign," he told reporters in Canberra on Thursday.
These included security and infrastructure announcements and attendance at some fundraising events.
"It's a team effort. The Liberal Party is a big family. And we are all working together to ensure that we get the right result in NSW."
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten questioned why the government had held off release of a new report which could lead to a cut in commonwealth grants to NSW based on a new formula for distributing GST revenue.
"We've got yet again another Joe Hockey thought-bubble taking $200 million from New South Wales to Western Australia," he said.
Mr Abbott said the grants commission report would be released after the NSW government caretaker period was over and the states were consulted.
"You look at every Labor political campaign in recent times - whether it's the South Australian state election, the Victorian state election, the Queensland state election, now the NSW state election - it's all just scare."
NSW Labor is also focusing its campaign on the state government's privatisation of electricity assets.
But Mr Abbott said Labor's tune was likely to change after the election, because of a federal government offer to top-up any sale proceeds through its asset recycling scheme.
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