Federal Minister Christopher Pyne has said he is "very sorry" for his "damaging" remarks to factional allies last Friday, which have set off days of infighting in the Turnbull Government.

The Minister for Defence Industry and Leader of the House made his full-throated apology to local branch members in Adelaide, after playing down the significance of his comments earlier this week.

On Friday, he told colleagues in the Liberal Party's moderate faction they were in the "winner's circle" and same-sex marriage could happen "sooner than everyone thinks".

The comments were secretly recorded and released to the media, enraging senior conservative colleagues who privately demanded Mr Turnbull dump Mr Pyne as Leader of the House.

At a local branch meeting on Wednesday night in his electorate of Sturt, Mr Pyne said: "I'm very sorry that my comments at an event last Friday have caused such a distraction for the Government. I apologise to anyone they have offended.

"My remarks were ill-chosen and unwise and I can see how unhelpful and damaging they have been."

He said Mr Turnbull's inclusion of partyroom members had been "outstanding" and the team in Canberra had "felt very much part of the decision-making process".

"The truth is, Malcolm Turnbull runs a tight-knit, traditional cabinet government that is inclusive of all strands of thought across the party," he said.

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Frontbenchers laugh off suggestions of Pyne's demotion

Amid calls for his sacking, several of the minister's frontbench colleagues today closed ranks, in an attempt to quell the disquiet.

Treasurer Scott Morrison and Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion laughed off suggestions Mr Pyne should be demoted.

"This is nonsense, seriously," Mr Morrison scoffed.

"A couple of words at a bar … talking about things with some mates and all of a sudden, that's the criteria. You've got to be kidding me."

Mr Turnbull also dismissed questions about party disunity, as "the media's fascination with personalities".

"Australians are bored, fed up with journalists and politicians talking among themselves," he said.

"They're not interested in the personalities among politicians. They want to know what they're doing."