Coalition MPs risk a voter backlash if Malcolm Turnbull was cut down as prime minister before the next election, with nearly three quarters of Australians wanting an end to the leadership instability plaguing Canberra.
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The final Fairfax-Ipsos poll for 2017 has found 71 per cent of voters think elected prime ministers should govern for a full term, rather than being dumped prior to an election. In a finding that will give nervous Liberal and Nationals MPs pause for thought, support for allowing a prime minister to serve a full-term leaps to 80 per cent among Coalition voters.
The poll also shows Labor has maintained its commanding 53 per cent to 47 per cent lead over the Coalition on a two-party preferred basis - the same result as surveys conducted in September and May.
If that result was repeated on election day, there would be a 3.4 per cent swing away from the Turnbull government which, if uniform, would trigger a loss of about 16 Coalition seats and hand power to Labor.
The Coalition and Labor each suffered a one percentage point dip in their primary vote, falling to 34 per cent and 33 per cent respectively.
There has been growing chatter in Coalition ranks about Mr Turnbull's future as Prime Minister, and the government has consistently trailed Labor since claiming a narrow win at the July 2016 election.
Parliament resumes on Monday for the final sitting week of 2017, with same-sex marriage laws expected to pass and the constitutional eligibility crisis coming to a head when all MPs table their citizenship documents by Tuesday.
The Fairfax-Ipsos poll found Foreign Minister Julie Bishop is now the most popular choice as preferred Liberal Party leader for the first time; 32 per cent of voters preferred Ms Bishop, whereas 29 per cent picked Mr Turnbull. Tony Abbott (14 per cent), Peter Dutton (5 per cent) and Scott Morrison (4 per cent) were well back in the field.
But among Coalition voters, 35 per cent backed Mr Turnbull as Liberal leader and 29 per cent backed Ms Bishop. Ms Bishop, Mr Morrison and Mr Dutton are most often discussed as potential Liberal Party leaders should Mr Turnbull be moved on.
Mr Turnbull on Sunday dismissed suggestions he could be replaced.
"I have every confidence that I will lead the Coalition to the next election in 2019 and we will win it, because we are putting in place the policies that deliver for the Australian people," Mr Turnbull told Sky News.
Mr Turnbull conceded he was working to "communicate more clearly and perhaps more succinctly" with voters and again flagged personal income tax cuts could be announced before the next election, however they would not necessarily kick in until after that next election.
He also hailed Barnaby Joyce's thumping win in the New England byelection as "a big vote of confidence" in Mr Joyce, the Coalition, and the government.
The poll was conducted Wednesday to Saturday, during another difficult week for the government. A Nationals backbench revolt on Thursday forced Mr Turnbull to reverse his longstanding opposition to a royal commission into the financial services sector.
A thumping 71 per cent of voters surveyed in the Fairfax-Ipsos poll supported a royal commission into Australia's banks, insurers and superannuation funds.
For Labor, 25 per cent of respondents preferred Opposition Leader Bill Shorten as party leader, 23 per cent preferred his deputy, Tanya Plibersek, and 20 per cent supported former leadership candidate Anthony Albanese. Mr Shorten was the overwhelming choice for Labor leader among Labor voters and Ms Plibersek the strong favourite among Greens voters.
The poll found Mr Turnbull's approval rating remained unchanged at 42 per cent, while his disapproval rating rose 2 percentage points since September to 49 per cent. Mr Shorten's approval rating rose by 2 percentage points to 38 per cent, while his disapproval remained steady at 52 per cent.
Mr Turnbull's commanding 17 percentage point lead (48-31) over Mr Shorten as preferred prime minister has not changed since the September poll.
The nationwide poll of 1401 people has a margin of error of 2.6 per cent.
