Ministers play down tension in govt ranks

Senior federal ministers are warning their colleagues no one's interested in gossip about the prime minister's staff.

Tension between some coalition MPs and Prime Minister Tony Abbott's office, particularly his chief of staff Peta Credlin, has been bubbling for some time.

Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull says it's almost unprecedented for political staff to be the subject of so much public controversy and comment.

"I don't think it's in the government's interest to fuel that," he told ABC radio on Monday.

"While I am flattered by your interest in my point of view on this matter, any opinions I have on the prime minister's office I will just keep for my private discussions with the prime minister."

His frontbench colleague and deputy Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce says Australians "couldn't give a toss about it".

The last thing Australians - who are dealing with drought, high power prices and job security - wanted to hear about was some internal squabble, he said.

Mr Abbott told the Nine Network on Sunday he believed people were sick of "insider gossip" and he was going to "ignore the static" and get on with his job.

At the weekend veteran Liberal MP Warren Entsch revealed he had lodged an official complaint with chief whip Philip Ruddock, accusing Mr Abbott of undermining cabinet ministers and keeping backbenchers in the dark about key policies.

Mr Abbott said he understood Mr Entsch was "grizzled" but it was his prerogative to make leader's calls.

He denied Ms Credlin's marriage to Liberal Party director Brian Loughnane was a conflict of interest, saying the arrangements had been in place for five years in which the coalition had been effective and successful.