Liberal leadership: Andrew Robb warns disgruntled MPs to 'pull their heads in' as PM Tony Abbott receives poll boost

Senior Cabinet minister Andrew Robb has warned internal critics of Tony Abbott to "pull their heads in" and has declared the effort to unseat him is "dying", after the Prime Minister received a poll boost.

A Fairfax Ipsos poll published this morning has the Coalition's primary vote up four percentage points to 42, with Labor down four points to 36.

The result was outside the poll's 2.6 per cent margin of error.

After preferences are distributed, the Coalition now trails Labor by just two points, 49 to 51.

The numbers echoed last week's Newspoll.

Mr Robb said the poll showed voters did not want the Prime Minister dumped.

"These elusive unnamed colleagues have got a clear responsibility to the rest of the team and the country to pull their heads in," he told the ABC's AM program.

"The solid dismissal of the spill motion just three weeks ago showed that overwhelmingly colleagues wanted to see the Prime Minister given some clear air and the opportunity to get things back on track.

"I do feel that the significant turnaround in the polls is also conclusive proof that the voters want that as well."

Mr Robb, who is overseas, said he had not felt a spill this week "was likely".

"There's been a lot of speculation and there is a smaller group who have been advocating change but I think they've been putting out continued spurious leaks and other things to try and keep some momentum but I think it's dying because the voters have spoken," he said.

On the question of preferred prime minister in the poll, Mr Abbott's ratings jumped five points to 39, still five shy of Bill Shorten, who is on 44 per cent.

Mr Abbott's personal disapproval rating has also fallen five points from 67 to 62, while his approval rating has risen from 29 to 32.

Mr Shorten's approval rating was neck-and-neck with his disapproval rating, both sitting at 43 per cent.

The first Liberal MP to publicly criticise Mr Abbott's leadership, Dennis Jensen, acknowledged the Coalition's standing in the polls had improved and said he did not think there would be another spill motion this week.

"I wouldn't think so, I certainly would hope not," Dr Jensen said.

"My view has been ever since the spill motion was lost that the Prime Minister genuinely should be given time."

Abbott set to shift focus to economy, national security

Mr Abbott is poised to try to shift the focus to the economy and national security this week, with the next intergenerational report due on Thursday and indications the Prime Minister will announce more Australian soldiers will be sent to train the Iraqi military.

The Prime Minister is also set to dump the $5 Medicare co-payment, a policy unpopular with a large number of his backbenchers.

It is unclear whether there will be any move on other contentious policies, including the six-month wait for young people to access unemployment benefits.

Mr Abbott hosted a function for Coalition MPs last night as part of an effort to shore up support for his leadership.

He was in New Zealand over the weekend for talks with his counterpart, John Key, where the leaders discussed a new joint military deployment.

"What we are now considering is joining New Zealand on an additional training mission with the Iraqi regular army," Mr Abbott said following the talks on Saturday.

"We still have to finalise our processes in Australia and I expect that will happen in the next few days."

But Mr Abbott's critics remain, with the ABC being told both Malcolm Turnbull and Julie Bishop are being urged to contest the leadership in the event of another spill motion.

At a Clean Up Australia Day event on Sunday, Mr Abbott said the leadership issue had been resolved.

"Every day you will see further and stronger evidence that this is a government which is focused on governing in the best interests of the whole people of our country," he said.

Mr Abbott survived a leadership spill motion 61 votes to 39 just over a fortnight ago but pressure has been building for another tilt at removing him.

However, Assistant Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said that while some in the Liberal Party would never be satisfied with Mr Abbott as leader, this was "a minority view" and he hoped the idea of a second spill motion had been put to rest.

Federal MP Clive Palmer says his senators will not support any proposed Federal Government legislation until the leadership issue is resolved.

"Until this chaos is sorted out by the Liberal Party it doesn't give our senators any confidence to vote for any Government legislation," he said.