The Federal Government has attacked the Coalition over its decision to reject a boost to family tax payments for people with new babies.

Labor announced the increased payments in last week's budget as a measure to replace the $5,000 baby bonus.

The Opposition is set to support the axing of the bonus, but treasury spokesman Joe Hockey says the Coalition will not go ahead with the higher benefit payments.

"We will not support new spending measures from the Labor Government other than those we specifically identify," he told AM.

"And that is not on the list.

"What we're endeavouring to do is to be entirely consistent and our consistency is based on what we have before us, and what we have before us is a budget that's in a mess."

The baby bonus will be scrapped from March 1, 2014 - a move which will save the budget $1.1 billion over five years.

Labor instead wants to increase payments for Family Tax Benefit (A), giving parents $2,000 for the first child and an additional $1,000 for subsequent children.

Treasurer Wayne Swan says the Opposition has a "secret cut agenda".

"The sad truth is that the Liberals have a secret cut agenda which they won't reveal to the Australian people but which is dribbling out almost day by day," he said.

"I think what this really shows is they're not being frank with the Australian people about their secret agenda to cut to the bone."

But Mr Hockey has blamed Labor repeating the Coalition's description of the budget as being in an "emergency situation".

"We will have to do what we have to do even if it means legislating their announced savings in order to deliver a stronger budget, to build a stronger budget, to build a stronger economy."

Gillard receives boost in opinion polls

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Julia Gillard has received a boost in the latest newspaper polls as she continues her push to get states and territories to sign up to the Federal Government's education reforms.

Fairfax's latest Nielsen poll says support for Ms Gillard as preferred prime minister has increased four points to 46 per cent, leaving her level with Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, whose support dipped four points.

Ms Gillard also closed the preferred prime minister gap in News Limited's Newspoll, gaining two points to 39 per cent while Mr Abbott's support dipped two points to 40 per cent.

Labor's primary vote jumped three points to 32 per cent in the Nielsen poll compared with the Coalition's vote, which dipped five points to 44 per cent.

However the Coalition still retained an election-winning two-party preferred lead of 54 to 46 per cent.

Newspoll's primary (Coalition 46 per cent, Labor 31 per cent) and two-party preferred (Coalition 56 per cent, Labor 44 per cent) numbers remained steady.