9news.com.au readers want to shirtfront Tony Abbott

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott seems to be facing a growing leadership crisis, following poor polling results and the Liberal National Party’s crushing defeat in the recent Queensland election.

And a 9news.com.au readership poll has found an increasing slice of the public would prefer to see him dumped in favour of one of his colleagues.

Only 11 percent of voters (or 2327 people) said they believed Mr Abbott would make the best prime minister, compared to 20 percent (4300) who believed Foreign Minister Julie Bishop was a better bet.

A 31 percent (6557) of voters declared they believed Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull would make the best national leader.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten was slightly ahead of rival Mr Abbott – attracting 15 percent (3144 votes) of the vote – but still substantially behind Ms Bishop and Mr Turnbull, suggesting a change in leadership could potentially work in the Coalition’s favour.

Apparently still smarting from Treasurer Joe Hockey’s tough love budget, only two percent (341 votes) of 9news.com.au readers thought he was right for the top job.

While the 9news.com.au poll only takes in a relatively small sample, it’s telling that Mr Abbott has been so thoroughly beaten by his two colleagues.

Mr Turnbull has ruled out running against Mr Abbott but rumours have abound today suggesting Ms Bishop has refused to offer the PM her assurance she would not contest the party’s leadership following a series of gaffes.

Sky News reported Mr Abbott met with the Foreign Minister seeking her commitment she would not challenge, only to be rebuffed.

Another 9news.com.au poll revealed 54 percent of readers believed Ms Bishop could lead the Coalition to victory at the next election.

Mr Abbott’s leadership has been called into question following the LNP’s election defeat in Queensland and his decision to award Prince Philip an Australia Day knighthood.

He publicly apologised over the divisive decision, labelling it a “captain’s call” and vowed to consult more widely with Cabinet in the future.

In potentially bad news for the Greens, Christine Milne only grabbed one percent of the vote – or 245 votes – suggesting the Greens might not be able to replicate their recent upswings in parliament.

Pauline Hanson is widely tipped to return to Queensland state politics in the coming weeks after securing a serious lead in the seat of Ashgrove. But despite her departure from federal politics in 1998, six percent of 9news.com.au voters suggested she could handle the top job better than Mr Abbott or her major party opposite numbers.

Fifteen percent – 3093 people – said they’d prefer none of the listed candidates, suggesting voters might simply be sick of the whole thing.