Abbott not claiming victory on MRRT yet

Tony Abbott admits he's not confident the mining tax will follow the carbon tax to the scrap heap anytime soon.

On the day his government finally managed to abolish the carbon tax after weeks of political wrangling, the prime minister wasn't about to claim any imminent victory on the minerals resource rent tax.

"I'm not necessarily confident that we will get the right result tomorrow or next week," he told reporters in Canberra on Thursday.

"(But) I'm confident that we will ultimately get the right result."

The government is struggling to get enough Senate support for the mining tax repeal because crossbench senators are insisting the government keep measures that the impost was supposed to fund.

But Mr Abbott says the coalition was up front with Australians before the election that it would axe the low income superannuation payment, low income support payments and the schoolkids bonus.

"Not because we are indifferent to the plight of the parents of kids at school but you can't give what you haven't got," he said.