Friday 13th ends horror week for Abbott

Prime Minister Tony Abbott is hoping to put a horror week behind him as he turns his attention to health issues on Friday the 13th.

The first week of parliament for the year began with a leadership spill motion in the Liberal party room which Mr Abbott survived 61-39.

But since Monday he's had to fend off questions over the government's economic credentials and whether Australian workers will play a role in building the next generation of submarines.

On Thursday, official figures showed the unemployment rate at 6.4 per cent - the highest in almost 13 years.

Liberal backbenchers who sought assurances of a listening ear from the PM have also been thrown into confusion as to whether the Medicare co-payment and higher university fees have been dumped.

Mr Abbott will join NSW Premier Mike Baird to launch a new one-stop shop for cancer treatment, which will accept its first in-patients later in February.

The Chris O'Brien Lifehouse is a dedicated cancer hospital that will provide 125 overnight beds, eight operating theatres and a state-of-the-art intensive care unit for public and private patients.

Chris O'Brien was a cancer specialist who died after battling an aggressive brain tumour in 2009.