With Tony Abbott's approval ratings at record lows, taking him on is a winning strategy - even for those on his own side like Julie Bishop, write Peter Lewis and Jackie Woods.

Julie Bishop has stared down politicians within and outside her own party to emerge as the star performer of 2014.

As the Foreign Minister and Deputy Liberal Leader touches down in Peru, reports of argy-bargy between Bishop and the Prime Minister over Australia's handling of the awkward topic of climate change can only be good. For her, that is.

With Abbott's approval ratings at record lows, taking him on is a winning strategy. Even for those on his own side.

This week's Essential Report shows voters see Bishop as a rare example of a politician who performed well in 2014.

Q. How would you rate the performance of the following people over the last 12 months?

Total good Total poor Neither good nor poor Don't know Net rating Tony Abbott - Prime Minister 27% 49% 17% 7% -22 Bill Shorten - Opposition leader 26% 31% 30% 13% -5 Joe Hockey – Treasurer 22% 46% 23% 10% -24 Clive Palmer - leader of PUP 9% 59% 22% 11% -50 Christine Milne - leader of the Greens 16% 39% 27% 19% -23 Julie Bishop - Foreign Minister 47% 19% 22% 12% +28

In a year people see as another shocker for politics, support for Bishop's performance is, to stretch the vernacular, 'going bananas'. She clearly outshines her colleagues in Coalition ranks as well as leaders of other political parties - major, minor and maverick.

She comes in a full 20 points ahead of Tony Abbott, who finishes 2014 on his lowest approval ratings since becoming prime minister in September last year.

Q. Do you approve or disapprove of the job Tony Abbott is doing as Prime Minister?

Total Sep 2013 Mar 2014 June 2014 Sep 2014 Oct 2014 Nov 2014 Total approve 32% 41% 40% 35% 35% 40% 39% Total disapprove 55% 36% 47% 58% 52% 48% 50% Don't know 12% 23% 12% 7% 13% 11% 10%

But she also trounces Opposition Leader Bill Shorten. While Shorten comes in ahead of Abbott as preferred prime minister, this appears to be due to fewer people thinking he's stuffed up, rather than especially impressing Australians with his performance.

Bishop has been able to capitalise on Abbott's personal unpopularity in a way Shorten hasn't, even with the infamous zingers.

In the foreign affairs portfolio, Bishop has had the opportunity to lead Australia's response to major international issues like the MH17 disaster - the UN Security Council being a kinder stage than the Australian Senate, which is rapidly unravelling political careers on her own side.

As her beleaguered colleague in Treasury attempts to sell unfairness, Bishop has mingled with the world's political glitterati, even managing a stylish slap-down of President Obama. And in an indisputable sign of success, Bishop has pulled off the nearly impossible task for a female politician: a magazine fashion spread without ridicule.

As Bishop soars, the big political flop this year is Clive Palmer, who is proving that media talkability does not necessarily equate to popularity. But there's the rub for politicians. So much airtime, so little love. Of all the groups in society, it was 'politics in general' that people rated as having the worst year in 2014.

Looking back through the Essential Report, what stands out is the lack of enthusiasm for anything much. In a year of tragedy, political disappointment and climate inaction, there was little that generated enthusiasm among voters.

It's not just our economic indicators that are flatlining, it's also our biorhythms. As we collapse onto the couch for summer, the biggest challenge may be getting back up again for 2015.

What we probably really all need is an overseas trip. Which could just be the secret to Julie Bishop's success.

The survey was conducted online December 5-8, 2014, and is based on 1,008 respondents.

Peter Lewis is a director of Essential Media Communications. View his full profile here. Jackie Woods is a communications consultant at Essential Media Communications. View her full profile here.