Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has confirmed there will be no change to the GST carve-up for "some years".

Just last month, at the West Australian state Liberal conference, Mr Turnbull flagged changes to the GST, proposing a minimum amount each state and territory would receive.

The current system has drawn fire from WA, with fewer than 30 cents in every GST dollar collected in WA returned to the State Government.

The move to introduce a "floor" was strongly opposed by smaller states such as Tasmania, who argued they would be unfairly disadvantaged.

At the time, the Federal Government had indicated the change would take time, but in a letter seen by the ABC to Liberal Senator Eric Abetz, the Prime Minister said the GST issue would not need to be resolved for years.

"I suggested we take the opportunity to consider a percentage floor below which no state or territory's share of the GST can fall, as the Western Australian share of the GST increases under the current system," Mr Turnbull said in the letter.

"This will not arise for some years and so is not an issue that needs to be, or can be, determined in the near future."

Senator Abetz had written to Mr Turnbull expressing his concern with the "floor" plan.

"I'm happy that the Prime Minister has listened to the concerns of Tasmanians and the Tasmanian Liberal Senate team to ensure that nothing precipitous is done in this area," he said.

GST a matter for state, not Federal Government: Abetz

The Prime Minister has confirmed the issue would not be dealt with for some time, and Government frontbenchers have previously indicated that 2019-20 would be a logical time frame.

Senator Abetz expressed his support for the current distribution.

"Well the current system, I think, works very well, so one assumes that any change will make it even better," he said.

Any change to the GST would require the support of all states and territories.

Senator Abetz said the issue was not one for the Federal Government to fix.

"It does remain an issue that needs to be resolved, not so much by the Federal Government but by the State Premiers and Chief Ministers," he said.

Mr Turnbull has also written to premiers and chief ministers urging them to look towards a long-term GST solution and not view the issue "solely through the prism of short-term self-interest".