Tony Abbott has shrugged off disastrous new post-budget poll results for his government, saying his job is to do what's best for the country, not win a popularity contest.
Both Newspoll and Fairfax-Nielsen show a big drop in support for the coalition after last week's unpopular budget, but the prime minister says the results were to be expected.
"We never said it was going to be be easy," he told ABC radio on Monday.
"The last government which brought down a very tough budget - the Howard government in 1996 - took a big hit in the polls too.
"But in the end we were elected not to take easy decisions but to take hard and necessary decisions, and that's what we've done."
Newspoll shows the coalition's primary vote dipped two percentage points to 36 per cent, compared to Labor's 38 per cent.
Nielsen has primary support for the coalition down five points to 35. Labor has surged six points, up to 40 points.
On a two-party preferred basis Newspoll gives the ALP a 10-point lead - 55 to 45 per cent - and has Labor leader Bill Shorten leading Mr Abbott as preferred prime minister by 10 points.
But Mr Abbott shrugged off results showing his personal standing with voters has plunged.
"I'm just getting on with what we were elected to do," he said.
"In the end, my job is not necessarily to win a popularity contest, my job is to run the country effectively."
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