Foreign minister Julie Bishop is unfazed by a shock opinion poll which has signalled a rapid recovery for Labor and new opposition leader Bill Shorten.
A Fairfax/Nielsen poll, the first since the September 7 election, showed the opposition with a 52-48 per cent lead over the government.
That's the quickest poll lead achieved by any federal opposition after losing an election.
With the government embroiled in a diplomatic row with Indonesia, and copping criticism over secrecy over their asylum seeker policy, Ms Bishop laughed along with suggestions at a Perth business breakfast that what did not kill her would make her stronger.
And the foreign minister says the government will also stay strong in its policy resolve, despite some public disquiet.
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"These opinion polls will come and go, and it is early days," Ms Bishop said.
"The government is getting on with its agenda of getting rid of the carbon tax, getting rid of the mining tax, growing our economy.
"The polls can be based on a whole range of things, but we are also determined to stop the people smuggling trade.
"Over 1000 people died at sea under the previous government's policies - they clearly failed and we are determined to stop that asylum-seeker trade," she said.
