Former prime minister Tony Abbott is calling for a "big new push" on budget repair and has suggested the Government revisit some of the measures he announced in 2014.

Key points: Abbott government walked back GP co-payment, and proposed dole, pension changes

Abbott government walked back GP co-payment, and proposed dole, pension changes Mr Abbott calls on Government to "talk about the issues [voters] understand"

Mr Abbott calls on Government to "talk about the issues [voters] understand" Government heading into last parliamentary sitting week for 2016

Mr Abbott said the Coalition, led by his successor Malcolm Turnbull, should take "another look at some of the issues from the 2014 budget".

"We can't go on indulging in what I used to describe as a cash splash with borrowed money," he told Sky News.

Mr Abbott did not specify which policies should be looked at, but a number of the measures were dumped or modified by both the government he led and the Turnbull Government.

He backflipped on the $7 GP co-payment seven months after it was announced in the 2014 budget, following a backlash from the government's own MPs, voters and interest groups.

The Abbott-led government also backtracked on its push to make young people wait six months for the dole and changes to the pension.

His comments come as the Government prepares to enter its last parliamentary sitting week for the year and negotiate with Labor and crossbench Senators to pass legislation.

Mr Abbott said the Government needs to veer away from Labor.

"A classic disagreement is on the budget; Labor thinks taxes are too low, the Coalition think that spending is too high," he said.

"Frankly, we need to sharpen the differences, I think, rather than to try to minimise them."

Last week, the Government passed changes to superannuation tax with the support of Labor.

Abbott calls on Government to move on from selling 'innovation'

Mr Abbott also took aim at the Government's innovation message, saying voters did not understand it.

The Government took a message of innovation and agility to the election. It included a $1 billion package, but Mr Abbott has repeated his suggestion that the Government should focus elsewhere.

Malcolm Turnbull and Mathias Cormann have both worked hard to sell innovation to the public. ( ABC News: Matt Roberts )

"Its good that we're no longer talking about innovation and agility because that frankly loses people," he said.

"We've got to talk about the issues that they understand."

But Government frontbencher Mathias Cormann continued to sell the message on Sunday.

Senator Cormann defended the need for innovation when appearing on ABC's Insiders program.

"Obviously, for an open trading economy like Australia, it is critically important that we are innovative and agile and always able to be as competitive as we possibly can be," he said.