Tony Abbott has six months at the most to turn around the coalition's political fortunes and listen more to his MPs after surviving a leadership spill motion.
The prime minister is understood to have told colleagues after surviving the vote it was a "big shot across my bow" and a "near-death experience", and he would take the message on board.
"We all do need to lift our game after something like this, and I am absolutely confident that that's exactly the message that we have got from the Australian people," Mr Abbott later told reporters.
He said the solution is good government, "and good government starts today."
West Australian Liberal MPs Luke Simpkins and Don Randall moved the motion on Monday, which was defeated in the party room 61-39.
Mr Simpkins, who last week said voters in his electorate had stopped listening to Mr Abbott, said 39 votes for a spill was a powerful message.
"It was clear from what the prime minister said afterwards that he has listened to that and he's going to change. This has been a good wake-up call," he said.
Spill motion supporter and Queensland MP Andrew Laming appeared to back suggestions that backbenchers were giving Mr Abbott six months to improve the party's stocks, but could move against him earlier if the May budget was a failure.
"He will have a chance for a second budget and then we will see that sales process over the next six months," Dr Laming said.
Deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop, who is considered a potential leadership contender, has offered to provide a link between Mr Abbott's office and backbenchers concerned with the power being wielded by the prime minister's key advisers, such as chief of staff Peta Credlin.
Mr Abbott said his senior staff had also resolved "to be and do better", but was standing by them as well as Treasurer Joe Hockey.
With the Medicare co-payment the focus of complaint for many MPs, Mr Abbott told the party room there would be "no new proposals" in the health area that did not have the backing of doctors.
The prime minister also introduced a new principle to government policymaking, which could hamper attempts at economic reform.
"We will not buy fights with the Senate that we can't win, unless we are absolutely determined that they are the fights that we really, really do need to have," he said.
University deregulation, which is also the source of complaint by coalition MPs, remains on the government's agenda but could be dumped if the Senate continues to block it.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten unsuccessfully attempted to censure the prime minister in parliament, describing the Liberal leadership vote as a "debacle".
"Until you sort out the budget, until you sort out your attack on the working people of Australia, until you stop intimidating and oppressing the poor, your problems will never be fixed," Mr Shorten said.
A Newspoll, published before the party room meeting, showed Labor leading the coalition 57 per cent to 43 per cent, two-party preferred.
Only one in four voters were satisfied with Mr Abbott's performance, but support would rise with a change of leadership to Malcolm Turnbull or Ms Bishop.
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