Abbott under fire after 'catastrophic' poll

Australia's conservative Prime Minister Tony Abbott came under renewed leadership pressure on Sunday, a little more than a year into office, following voter backlash in a state poll and a slump in his personal approval rating.

Abbott said he was determined to stay on as leader, adding government was "not a popularity contest", but conceded Saturday's rout of the Liberal-National Party in the Queensland election had delivered a jolt.

"The people of Australia elected me as prime minister and they elected my government to get on with the job of governing our country," he said.