Abbott defiant as Aussie MPs call for his head

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott was fighting for his job yesterday after backbenchers publicly called for a Liberal Party vote on his leadership following months of tensions stoked by fading poll numbers and policy backflips.

A handful of MPs late Tuesday openly revolted against the conservative leader after Abbott's recent controversial decision to make Britain's Prince Philip a knight helped bring simmering tensions to the surface.

West Australian MP Dennis Jensen was the first to say Abbott should go.

"I don't think the leader and his office are listening and communicating effectively," Jensen told ABC television. "I believe that it is necessary that this is brought to a head and lanced."

On Monday, Abbott said he would not step down.

Abbott's Liberal-National coalition romped to power in a September 2013 election but is now trailing the opposition Labor Party 46 to 54 percent, a Fairfax-Ipsos poll in the Sydney Morning Herald showed Monday.

The poll also found that Abbott's rating as preferred prime minister had slipped from 39 to 34 percent, while Labor leader Bill Shorten had climbed to 50 percent.

Abbott, an avowed monarchist, claimed to have learnt his lessons, promised greater consultation and insisted he was still the right person to head the government.