Tony Abbott has declared it hasn't been an easy year for the government, but coalition MPs have plenty of achievements to spruik over the Christmas break.
The prime minister rallied his troops at the final government party room meeting for the year on Tuesday, as Labor led the Liberal-National coalition in two party terms for the seventh month running.
"It has not been an easy year but it's been a year of achievement for our country and our government," Mr Abbott told his colleagues days out from parliament rising for the year.
While the government was getting the fundamentals right, it was up to individual MPs to sell the message, he said.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten told the final caucus meeting for the year the government was adrift and sinking fast.
"It is not, despite what Tony Abbott was saying, the barnacles. It's the actual ship. It's the crew, it's the captain," he said.
"It's simple, if the government wanted to reboot ... press the delete button (on the budget)."
Treasurer Joe Hockey, who is working on the mid-year budget review to be handed down within a fortnight, provided coalition MPs with an upbeat progress report.
However, he warned that sharply falling commodity prices and a decline in terms of trade presented "headwinds" for the economy and budget and that further reform would be needed in 2015.
"There is no finish line on economic reform," he said.
Mr Hockey urged Labor to get out of the way of $28 billion in budget savings.
Mr Abbott told parliament the government would get the budget under control, but declined to answer a Labor question about whether the forecast return to balance in 2017/18 would be delivered.
"This government is absolutely ... determined to restore the budget to surplus as quickly as we reasonably can," he said.
The latest Newspoll puts Labor on 54 per cent of the two-party vote while an Essential poll put it at 53 per cent.
Asked by Essential if the PM had kept his election promises, 56 per cent of voters disagreed, including one in five coalition voters.
The government continues to lobby Senate crossbenchers to pass its higher education changes and the $7 GP co-payment.
But it is facing criticism over its approach.
"They're hopeless at making clear what their objectives are, they're hopeless at convincing me to vote for their legislation," Liberal Democrat senator David Leyonhjelm said.
Independent senator Jacqui Lambie, who has threatened to block government bills until Defence personnel get a better pay deal, said the prime minister's postponement of meetings with her showed "plain ignorance and disrespect".
Mr Abbott, who is expected to meet with Senator Lambie by the week's end, said he would not give in to blackmail.
"There are other cross bench senators who are at least prepared to be reasonable, and they are higher up in the list of people to see," he said.
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