Coalition MPs say the federal government needs to improve how it communicates after hearing voter criticism of Prime Minister Tony Abbott and the budget during the summer break.
Nationals MP and parliamentary secretary Darren Chester said he had received a "bit of advice" from voters in his electorate.
"There were people who said they didn't believe Tony had his best last few months - they thought he was a little bit off his game at times," Mr Chester told Sky News on Wednesday.
"But overall they get the sense this is a bloke who is working bloody hard."
He accepted that the government had been "rough around the edges" in some areas in 2014.
But while voters were critical of budget measures such as Medicare and university reform, the government was receiving credit for stopping the boats and sealing free trade agreements, he said.
"We have to get better at explaining why we have to make the decisions we've had to make," Mr Chester said.
An unnamed coalition MP told ABC television the prime minister was "toxic" in the electorate.
Asked about the "toxic" comment, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told reporters in Washington: "I don't believe that that's a description that any of my colleagues would apply to the prime minister.
"The prime minister is leading a strong team and I don't intend to go into the details of domestic politics while I'm over here."
Liberal senator Cory Bernardi said in his first email newsletter of 2015 that Australians were concluding that "many politicians seem more interested in power and self-preservation than actually fixing the problems we face".
Senator Bernardi said voters would start looking for "alternatives" who showed "honesty, integrity and principle".
Labor frontbencher Tony Burke said the fact Mr Abbott had not campaigned in the Queensland state election showed that he had become like the villain in the Harry Potter books, Lord Voldemort.
"None of them are willing to say his name out loud in case it makes him stronger," Mr Burke said.
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