The PM was asked about controversial proposed reforms to superannuation, which caused internal alarm when they were first flagged in the May budget, and have torn deep wounds within the Coalition throughout the election campaign and its aftermath. Malcolm Turnbull said he would bring legislation to the Parliament consistent with what was presented to voters in the campaign. Credit:Peter Rae Those changes include a $500,000 lifetime cap on non-concessional contributions and a $1.6 million limit on the amount of super that can be transferred into tax-free "retirement phase" accounts. Many Liberal and National MPs say they were ambushed by conservative voters concerned about the planned changes, which would largely hit the Coalition's base. Mr Turnbull left the door open for tinkering, noting the unsettled makeup of the Senate and pointing out "there is always debate and sometimes compromise". But he insisted: "We will be presenting our budget, our budget measures, in the same manner we took them to the election."

The PM also indicated the customary agreement between the Liberal Party and its coalition partner, the Nationals, would affect only procedural arrangements - not policy. "If you want to know what our agreement on policies are, you look at our election platform," Mr Turnbull said. "Any changes to policy or any policies are made in the normal way by the Cabinet and then endorsed by the Coalition party room in the normal way." The speculation about policy changes arises from the tight election result, in which it was unclear for many days whether the Coalition would be able to form majority government. Now that it has won at least 76 seats, with the possibility of 77, Mr Turnbull has claimed a "solid" majority and mandate to go ahead with the policies it took to the election. That includes the plebiscite on same-sex marriage and the revival of the Australian Building and Construction Commission. That bill would still be put to a special joint sitting of both houses if it fails to pass the new Senate, Mr Turnbull indicated.