Scott Morrison is trying to short-circuit his party's perceived problems with women and the environment but the latest polls show voters have tuned out.
The prime minister is also dealing with accusations his party is doing favours for mates after a former Liberal MP who was appointed a lucrative tribunal job loaned a campaign bus to the man who gave him the role.
The latest Newspoll shows Labor remains ahead of the Liberal-National coalition with an unchanged two-party preferred vote of 53 per cent to 47.
But Mr Morrison dismissed suggestions the result shows voters are rejecting his argument that Labor wants to weaken Australia's border protection program.
The rhetoric came after Labor joined crossbenchers to pass a law changing the medical transfer process for sick asylum seekers.
"We stand by all of that, because that was about the policy," Mr Morrison told Nine's Today program on Monday.
Labor leader Bill Shorten said Mr Morrison was making policy on the run in a bid to get a poll bump.
"Every policy he does these days seems designed to give him a jump in the polls," Mr Shorten told reporters in Townsville.
Newspoll has remained locked at 53-47 for three polls in a row, but last week the coalition was buoyed by an Ipsos poll that put the two-party preferred vote at 51-49 in Labor's favour.
After the Liberal Party's problems attracting and keeping women candidates, Mr Morrison welcomed the choice of Katie Allen as the Liberal candidate to replace Kelly O'Dwyer in Higgins.
"Her victory yesterday, a very substantial one in the seat of Higgins, demonstrates the vote of confidence that people of real talent, women of real women talent, are putting in the Liberal party," Mr Morrison told Seven's Sunrise.
Dr Allen's preselection came as former soldier Vince Connelly defeated four women to become the Liberal candidate for the WA seat of Stirling.
Mr Morrison has outlined his plan to tackle climate change, announcing $200 million a year for projects to reduce emissions.
But the continuation of Tony Abbott's policy attracted criticism from Labor and the Greens, who said polluters were still being paid to keep polluting.
Attorney-General Christian Porter had to clarify that a campaign bus he got from a company former WA Liberal MP Joe Francis was running was paid for, and it was not a free gift.
Mr Porter appointed Mr Francis to a lucrative position on the Administrative Appeals Tribunal on Friday.
"This government is a government of cronies and donors," Mr Shorten said.
