TONY ABBOTT has told his MPs that only Coalition ill-discipline can save Labor and Julia Gillard, urging his side to avoid unnecessary fights over principle.
Addressing his party room as Parliament resumed for the year, Mr Abbott cited internal divisions over the Murray-Darling Basin and subsidies for the automotive industry as examples.
''The fight you have over $500 million here and 1000 gigalitres is the type of fight you have in government,'' sources quoted Mr Abbott as saying.
''In opposition we can't fix these things so don't get bogged down in them.''
With Ms Gillard's leadership under strain and the Greens claiming she is a victim of misogyny, Mr Abbott told his MPs and senators the Prime Minister was ''playing the sexism card because she sees the end game coming''.
''The only thing that can save this government is a disorganised opposition,'' he said.
There are geographical differences in the Coalition about the plan to save the Murray-Darling Basin concerning the competing needs of irrigators and the river.
Last month, the Herald reported a split in the Coalition over its policy position to axe $500 million from the present round of automotive subsidies.
As Mr Abbott delivered his message, a fresh bout of confusion erupted in the Coalition about its claims concerning when it would return the budget to surplus, if elected.
The government has promised a surplus next financial year and the Coalition has always said that if it were in government, it would achieve a surplus by the same time, if not sooner.
But on Monday, the opposition finance spokesman, Andrew Robb, walked away from the commitment, saying there may not be a surplus in the first term of a Coalition government, given the uncertainty about the budget numbers.
The opposition frontbencher Christopher Pyne then said the Coalition would be in a better position to say when it could deliver a surplus once in power.
The shadow treasurer, Joe Hockey attempted to mop up yesterday, saying the Coalition would return the budget to surplus ''as soon as possible''.
''When we see the final numbers that are released by the Treasury during the election campaign, we will base all our figures on that and you'll see in full detail what our numbers will look like,'' he said.
The Treasurer, Wayne Swan, leapt on the confusion, calling it a ''slapstick farce''.
Needing to find billions in savings, the Coalition has been lowering expectations of what it could afford in a first term.
Last week, Mr Abbott outlined policy ''aspirations'' rather than promises.
In a bid to shake off the poor start to the year for the government, Ms Gillard has declared the resumption of Parliament as the start of a year-long debate on the economy.
''[It] will define who you stand for, who you stand with and who you seek to benefit,'' she told Parliament.
In the wake of this week's Herald/Nielsen poll, which showed a spike in support for both Ms Gillard and the government, the chatter about a leadership push by Kevin Rudd subsided yesterday.
Labor strategists attributed the poll boost to the government focusing in recent weeks on the automotive industry and its subsidising of the industry to keep it viable.
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