"The decision is made, it was made for good reasons and I stand by it, but obviously there are some lessons in these things and the lesson that I learn is that there does need to be wider consultation about these sorts of awards in the future," he said.

"I'm determined to learn from all of this and run the best possible government in 2015."

He stressed that he alone made the decision and said he did not consult his chief of staff, Peta Credlin, who is a controversial figure because of her often criticised management style. When pressed, Mr Abbott said he would not get involved in "internal navel gazing".

The controversy has sparked serious chatter among Mr Abbott's colleagues about his leadership. Some are even floating the idea of calling a meeting of backbench MPs to discuss the "direction of the team".

Publicly, ministers are assuring voters that the Prime Minister enjoys the full support of the partyroom but privately, many MPs fear Mr Abbott's authority has expired.