BILL Shorten’s popularity has sunk to historic new lows in the latest Newspoll.

The Opposition Leader’s rating is down one point to 14 per cent, the record low for a Labor leader in Newspoll history.

Mr Shorten’s satisfaction rating also copped a whack in the poll for The Australian, falling three points to his record low of 23 per cent — also the lowest for any opposition leader since 2003.

Based on preference flows from the last election, the ­Coalition’s two-party-preferred lead is unchanged at 53 per cent to Labor’s 47 per cent.

Mr Shorten repeated earlier claims he “won’t quit because I don’t quit”.

“I understand that there was a race on between Labor and the Liberals to see who could get rid of Tony Abbott,” he said.

“Tony Abbott was effectively sticking a needle in the eye of the Australian people.

“The Liberals got there first. They have got the bonus of the post Abbott honeymoon.

“We see that beginning to edge off. I understand why Australians are pleased that Tony Abbott is gone. I understand now we have a PM who is not Tony Abbott.”

Malcolm Turnbull’s popularity as Prime Minister also hasn’t gone unscathed.

The PM’s approval rating is down four points to 60 per cent after Liberal Ian Macfarlane’s switch to the Nationals and questions over Mal Brough’s appointment as minister, the Newspoll shows.

But Turnbull said he was “unruffled” by the poll.

TURNBULL’S MACFARLANE HEADACHE

Innovation Minister Christopher Pyne wouldn’t be drawn on whether Mr Macfarlane would be welcome in the Turnbull Government Ministry.

“Ian Macfarlane hasn’t been released from the Liberal Party,” he told the ABC.

“Of course, he signed a nomination form nominating for a seat that had been allocated to the Liberal Party in Groom so he can’t unilaterally just join the National Party.”

“I think there is quite a bit of water to go under that bridge yet.”

Asked whether Mr Macfarlane would be welcomed back into Cabinet if he was released from his contract by the Queensland Liberal Party, he said there were “a lot of ifs” in the question.

Treasurer Scott Morrison said it was an “internal matter”.

“We’re all on the same bus,” he told ABC radio.

“We’re all in the Coalition.

“It’s a very strong Coalition. We’re all heading in the same direction which is about jobs and growth.

“Ian Macfarlane won’t even have to change his corflutes at the next election if the change is approved (by the QLD Liberal Party).”

BROUGH DRAMA NOT GOING AWAY

Mr Brough faced intense questioning from the Opposition over his involvement in the Peter Slipper diary scandal during the final weeks of Parliament this year.

It followed a federal police raid on the Special Minister of State’s home and the saga intensified when Mr Brough gave an answer to a question in Parliament that appeared to contradict a previous answer giving to television program 60 Minutes.

Asked about his involvement in the affair, Mr Pyne denied offering former staffer James Ashby a job in return for his help to bring down Mr Slipper.

He told the ABC he’d offered no inducements to Mr Ashby.

Journalist: “You offered no inducement to James Ashby in attempting to bring down Peter Slipper?”

Pyne: “None.”

Journalist: “None at all? The first suggested by James Ashby was that you did, that there was an offer of a job was he mistaken in that claim?”

“Pyne: “Virginia, we have canvassed these issues for 3.5 years.”

Journalist: “It just doesn’t go away does it?”

Pyne: “I’m not going to go into them any more. I’ve been up hill and down dale and inside out and upside down over these issues with the media and my involvement with this issue is very well known.”

Journalist: “The AFP clearly isn’t done with it?”

Pyne: “That’s not a matter for me.”