Prime Minister Tony Abbott says the coalition can be “reasonably happy” about its first nine months in office.

Mr Abbott addressed a cabinet meeting in Canberra on Tuesday, a week ahead of the first sitting of the new Senate that the government expects will pass key election pledges.

The meeting came as the latest Newspoll put the Labor opposition 10 points ahead of the coalition in two-party terms.

Mr Abbott’s 62 per cent voter dissatisfaction rating is the highest since he became prime minister in September last year.

“I think we can feel reasonably happy with the first nine months,” Mr Abbott told his cabinet.

“It hasn’t been easy, there’s been lots of political ups and downs but nevertheless those fundamentals that we made a commitment to the public on we are delivering.”

The prime minister remains confident the government will get the required six crossbench votes in the Senate to pass its carbon and mining tax repeal bills, as well as some key budget measures.

But Labor and the Greens continue to oppose the reintroduction of fuel tax indexation, the Medicare co-payment, higher education deregulation and a raft of pension and welfare measures.

A Senate-only sitting week has been scheduled for the week of July 7, in which the government will test the support of new senators for its legislation.

However, House of Representatives members will return to Canberra on July 8 for one day for a speech by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Mr Abbott said he was determined to work constructively with the new Senate after the “mindless obstruction” from Labor and the Greens over nine months.

He said the public could expect the carbon tax to be abolished “in the next week or so”.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said Mr Abbott’s main failing had been not building a consensus around his agenda.

“Tony Abbott has a Downton Abbey style of consensus – he summons Australians like a servant class to agree with his consensus,” Mr Shorten told reporters in Canberra.

“If you want people to get on board, convince them of the merits of change.”