Tony Abbott has dismissed cabinet leaks and internal party disquiet as gossip, as he stood by his embattled chief of staff.
The government was rocked on Tuesday by Liberal Party federal treasurer and chief fundraiser Philip Higginson quitting his role, citing "vitriol and pent-up animosities" within the party.
In a letter leaked before what looks sure to be a feisty Liberal federal council meeting in June, Mr Higginson said it was a conflict of interest to have a husband and wife as Liberal federal director and the prime minister's chief of staff.
Brian Loughnane and Peta Credlin occupying these positions undermines trust within the party, which was a "much diminished brand", he said.
Mr Higginson's view is shared by many Liberal MPs who have publicly and privately criticised Ms Credlin as wielding too much power.
The prime minister stood by his staff and dismissed the leaked letter as "a storm in a teacup" which was only of interest among Canberra insiders.
Mr Abbott has faced a series of leaks about cabinet decisions on policies ranging from pension indexation changes to the Medicare co-payment.
Asked about the leaks in parliament on Tuesday, Mr Abbott said many options were debated in cabinet but all decisions were unanimous.
"They (Labor) are welcome to all this tawdry politics but what the Australian people want is a government which is focused on the people of Australia," he said.
He acknowledged that "prime ministers are always on probation", but he was getting on with the job.
Coalition MPs have urged Mr Abbott to consult more on policies, telling him they are best placed to know what voters think about controversial budget measures.
In response, Mr Abbott and cabinet ministers sat down with backbench committee chairs on Monday to talk about some of the more contentious policies such as the Medicare co-payment and university fee hikes.
Deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop said of the meeting that ministers recognised policy needed to be seen "through its political impact in our electorates".
The latest Newspoll and Essential polls puts Labor ahead of the coalition 53-47 on a two-party basis, tightening in the wake of the government's focus on national security issues.
However, the Newspoll shows 77 per cent of voters consider Mr Abbott arrogant, and only a third of them believe he's in touch with voters.
Labor has begun its election planning in earnest, fast-tracking a program to recruit supporters and phone, meet or email two million voters before the 2016 election campaign.
The opposition has also begun costing policies which leader Bill Shorten said would form a plan for the next decade.
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