Prime Minister Tony Abbott has read the riot act to cabinet ministers and the wider coalition party room.
The coalition is trailing Labor in the polls following open division over same-sex marriage and a September 19 by-election in the federal seat of Canning will put the government's standing to the test.
Mr Abbott told a coalition party room meeting on Tuesday all MPs needed to be more "disciplined" from the cabinet down.
Mr Abbott said the party had pre-selected an outstanding candidate for Canning, former SAS soldier Andrew Hastie.
The government would have a strong message to take to the by-election, while Labor talked about "clobbering" jobs by opposing the China free trade agreement and wanting to bring back a carbon tax.
Mr Abbott said he would "soon" take to cabinet a proposal on how to put the issue of same-sex marriage to a national vote.
He said MPs owed it to their colleagues, especially those holding marginal seats, to be more disciplined and focused on the issues that matter.
One coalition MP told the meeting more "collegiality" was needed, while another called for better communication between ministers and the backbench.
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