Malcolm Turnbull says his party is behind him despite losing a 30th Newspoll in a row, a mark he now regrets using as a reason to dump Tony Abbott.
The latest Newspoll published in The Australian on Monday shows the coalition trails Labor 48-52 per cent on a two-party preferred basis.
The coalition has narrowed the margin by a point, but the 30th consecutive loss matches the mark Mr Turnbull used as a reason to topple Mr Abbott in September 2015.
"I regret making those remarks at the time, making the remarks about 30 Newspolls," Mr Turnbull told reporters in Sydney on Monday.
Mr Abbott, who is on the annual Pollie Pedal charity bike ride, said Mr Turnbull must explain his 30 Newspoll test.
"It's really, I suppose, something for Malcolm to explain why it applied to me, but shouldn't apply now," he told 2GB radio.
The prime minister promised when he took over in 2015 to provide economic leadership and traditional cabinet government.
"I have done both," he said.
"(Also) no one has accused us of breaking any promises, we haven't broken any promises," he told Miranda Devine Live.
Mr Turnbull said he would lead the Liberals to the next election, due by May 2019.
"I have the confidence of the party room and no one is suggesting that I don't," Mr Turnbull said.
Deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop said the public would back Mr Turnbull.
"It will come to a point where they will have to make a decision about who they trust with economic management and national security and I'm confident that that will be Malcolm Turnbull," she told the Nine Network.
Asked whether she would run against Mr Turnbull if her colleagues asked her, Ms Bishop said, "I don't envisage those circumstances at all".
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said it wasn't unusual for incumbent governments to be behind in the polls.
"I mean we're not actually that far behind, truth be told," he told ABC radio.
Education Minister Simon Birmingham said if polls were to be believed, Nick Xenophon would be South Australian premier.
Newspoll also found Mr Turnbull remains preferred prime minister at 38 per cent, compared to Opposition Leader Bill Shorten's 36 per cent.
An Ipsos/Fairfax poll published on Saturday showed the coalition at 48-52, based on how preferences flowed at the last election.
"It's Mr Turnbull who said 30 Newspolls is a definition of success. That's his problem," Mr Shorten told reporters in Perth.
