Tony Abbott has urged colleagues not to indulge in naval gazing in the wake of the shock Queensland election result, which has sparked further talk of a leadership challenge.
Government wasn't a popularity contest but "a competence contest", the prime minister said.
"I don't say for a second that we haven't made mistakes. I don't say for a second that we can't do things better," he told reporters in Sydney.
"But I am not going to be distracted from the essential task of giving this country the good government that it deserves."
The Liberal National Party's likely loss in Queensland is seen as a further blow to the prime minister, coming less than a week after the controversy surrounding his decision to give Prince Philip a knighthood.
A new Galaxy poll also shows his government heading for certain defeat - with the coalition trailing Labor by 57 to 43 per cent - heaping further pressure on Mr Abbott's leadership.
Ministers Julie Bishop and Malcolm Turnbull, seen as the most likely contenders, have both reportedly pledged not to challenge for the top job.
But backbencher Mal Brough, a Howard-era minister, is being urged to mount a challenge, Fairfax reported on Saturday.
Addressing concerns raised by some backbenchers about his leadership, Mr Abbott said he was always ready to discuss with them "whatever is on their mind".
He again promised a more "consultative and collegial government" in 2015, and that it would not take the Senate for granted as it did occasionally last year.
"But the important thing is not to navel gaze, it's not to focus on ourselves," he said.
"The important thing is to get on with the job of being a better government today than we were yesterday."
Mr Abbott dismissed suggestions federal factors had influenced the backlash against the Newman government, though he did admit the knighthood fiasco had been a "distraction for a couple of days".
The federal coalition were "determined" to learn the lessons from the Queensland poll, he said.
"The lessons are not to give up on reform, but to make sure that everything you propose is fully explained and well justified," he said.
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