SENIOR federal government ministers have denied they are facing the same fate as the dumped Victorian Coalition, after it lost power after just one term.

But they admit the historic state election loss is a wake-up call and the Federal Government needs to work through “bugs in the system”.

After a horror week marked by confusion over the GP co-payment, unpopular cuts to the ABC and SBS, and the submarine gaffe of Defence Minister David Johnston, the federal Coalition is playing down links to the state result.

The fall of the first one-term government in Victoria since 1955 has sounded alarm bells across the country, with Victorian Liberals including former premier Jeff Kennett pointing the finger at Canberra for the debacle.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott today congratulated Labor’s Daniel Andrews on his state election victory, even as some Liberal Party members accuse his government of contributing to the outgoing Premier Denis Napthine’s loss.

“Whilst a significant proportion of the vote remains to be counted, it is clear that Victorians have voted for a change of government,” he said.

Mr Abbott also paid tribute to the dumped premier as a man of integrity and decency.

“Denis Napthine’s public service has left Victoria a better place and I thank him,” he said.

Earlier, former Vctorian premier Jeff Kennett unloaded on the Abbott Government as a “shambles’’ admitting it was major factor in the defeat of the state government.

As senior Liberals traded blows over the policy chaos over the GP tax, Mr Kennett said the Abbott Government could not escape blame over the election outcome.

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Conceding Mr Napthine was too loyal and should have taken on the Prime Minister, Mr Kennett said there was no doubt the Abbott Government had been a “major factor’’.

“He never called Tony Abbott to account. Tony was putting tax on him after tax on him. He wouldn’t have done it in NSW.’’

The Prime Minister’s decision to hike petrol taxes during the Victorian campaign enraged Liberal colleagues and the messy debate over whether or not the GP fee was dead dogged the campaign.

Earlier, Victorian Treasurer Michael O’Brien had blamed the Abbott Government’s first budget for blowing us “off the front page’’ as the Napthine Government braced for an electoral loss.

Mr O’Brien confirmed the worst kept secret in Victorian politics, that the state Liberals are furious with the Abbott Government over the impact of the GP tax and other measures.

“There’s no doubt the impact of the federal budget blew us off the front page,’’ Mr O’Brien told Sky News.

Mr O’Brien said “the media focus is increasingly on federal politics. State budgets finds it hard to get a look in.’’

But one state Liberal MP blamed the defeat squarely on the decision to replace Ted Baillieu with Denis Napthine.

“They voted a dud in and now the people have Victoria have voted a dud out,’’ he said.

Dr Napthine’s polling took a hit after the May federal budget was released.

Labor strategists have confirmed Mr Abbott emerged as a negative for the Liberals in focus groups - including among Liberal voters.

A Newspoll-Sky exit poll of voters in the Victorian election found that 46 per cent of voters cited the federal budget as a significant issue in the state election campaign.

Labor leader Bill Shorten, who campaigned in nine Victorian state seats, today lampooned the Prime Minister for failing to campaign in the state on the orders of the Napthine government.

“There’s no doubt that Victorians want to send message to Tony Abbott: no to his GP tax, no to his $100,000 university degrees, no to his cuts to pensions, not to his petrol tax increases,’’ Mr Shorten said.

“I think everyone knows that wild horses couldn’t drag Tony Abbott to Victoria.’’

The Prime Minister has featured heavily in Labor advertising in the state election with one poster morphing his face into Denis Napthine’s and election day bunting highlighting federal issues including the GP tax and higher education reforms.

Ministers in the Napthine Government said there was “no question’’ that the unpopularity of Tony Abbott in Victoria was “ a factor’’.

But senior Coalition frontbencher Andrew Robb today dismissed talk the Abbott government was responsible for the Victorian government’s historic election loss.

“I don’t accept that we had a big influence,” the federal Victorian MP told ABC TV.

“We will have a look at the implications but clearly ... this was a state election overwhelmingly fought on state issues.”

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said “state elections are state elections”.

“The Victorian election was about ... what was happening in Victoria,” he told the Channel 10.

“To the extent there are issues that the federal government has to look at in the context of that, then of course we will.”

He said most marginal federal seats were in NSW and Queensland, where state coalition governments were likely to cruise to victory at elections next year.

Mr Morrison said the federal coalition had achieved a great deal in its first year, citing its success in scrapping the carbon and mining taxes, and stopping the boats.

However, he acknowledged it needed to work harder on “managing the politics”, in reference to the mixed messages on the $7 Medicare co-payment.

In his statement, Mr Abbott said he was “determined to do what I can” to ensure the East West Link went ahead.

Mr Andrews later said he was yet to have a conversation with Mr Abbott, but “I look forward to speaking” to him.

“I will of course work with him, in a respectful and productive way because I am all about outcomes,” he said. “I will work with Mr Abbott, but I will never work for him.”