Politicians have returned to Canberra with the polls neck-and-neck but Malcolm Turnbull streets ahead of Bill Shorten in the prime ministerial stakes.

The first Newspoll after a three-week parliamentary break puts the Coalition and Labor at 50-50 in two-party terms.

But Turnbull, who will head a reshuffled frontbench when question time starts on Monday, leads Shorten as the preferred prime minister by 57-19 per cent.

And nearly two out of three people polled believe the Liberal Party did the right thing in ditching Tony Abbott as leader in September.

Returning to Canberra on Monday, Liberal senator and Abbott supporter Chris Back said it had been an “interesting transition” to Turnbull, praising the new prime minister for reaching out to Abbott supporters.

“We move on in this game,” he told reporters.

Another Abbott backer Senator Zed Seselja said supporters were putting the spill behind them and had been having some “positive” discussions with Turnbull, who hosted a Sunday night barbecue for MPs.

“There’s an overwhelming mood that we want to see the government succeed,” Seselja told ABC radio.

Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese said the 50-50 result for a prime minister who replaced an unpopular leader was a poor outcome for the coalition.

“The honeymoon is over baby,” he told reporters.

Abbott will take a backbench seat in parliament for the first time in almost two decades, sitting next to former treasurer Joe Hockey.

Turnbull will seek to ease tension with Coalition partner The Nationals on Wednesday, when he meets with Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce to discuss taking the water portfolio from the environment department.

Some Nationals are wary of the new prime minister’s commitment to delivering all of the promises made to the junior government partner.

But Joyce said he was certain the agreement would be honoured.

“This is crucial for how the Coalition works,” Joyce told ABC radio.

“The coalition is a business arrangement between different parties.”

Shorten, who marks two years as Labor leader on Tuesday, is expected to announce Labor’s negotiating position on the China free trade agreement this week.

– AAP