I will not keep quiet: Mal Brough

One of Tony Abbott's major party room critics has pledged to keep fighting government policy he disagrees with.

Queensland MP Mal Brough was a chief architect of the backbench revolt against the prime minister, and at one point was touted as a "stalking horse" challenger for the leadership.

Mr Brough on Wednesday raised concerns about the below inflation defence force pay offer, the Medicare co-payment and the "competitive evaluation process" for Australia's next generation of submarines.

The former Howard government minister promised to "keep taking up the fight" on government policy - and said he had the backing of colleagues.

"No one in the coalition is saying to me `Shut up, sit down, keep your mouth shut'," he told Sky News.

"What they're saying is run the arguments, run them forcefully, and win the support of your colleagues."

Asked how much breathing space the prime minister had after Monday's spill motion, he said: "It's not a case of time".

He was encouraged by Mr Abbott's offer of greater consultation with the backbench.

"It's not about me or the backbench - it's about the public," he said.

"We get that right, the public will say `we want more if this'. And the prime minister will have as long as the public retains their faith in us."