Malcolm Turnbull has only been in the top job for a year but a senior colleague says he has the potential to be up there with Robert Menzies and John Howard, who both overcame poor initial stints as leader of their party to return as our longest and second-longest serving prime ministers.

“I believe Malcolm Turnbull has it in him to do that,” Attorney-General George Brandis says.

“I think he has learned a lot of lessons from the very, very bruising experience of politics at the highest level.”

Mr Brandis was referring to the PM’s first stint as Liberal leader which ended when he was dumped by his party over support for an emissions trading scheme and based calls for the resignation of then-sitting prime minister Kevin Rudd on documents fabricated by a public servant.

But with Mr Turnbull in New York ahead of the United Nations General Assembly, his Attorney-General was buoyant about the performance of the new government.

He said it was a “great week” when a government has a $6.3 billion savings bill, manages to secure a compromise to superannuation reforms within the Coalition and tables its controversial same-sex marriage plebiscite legislation.

“Those three issues, all of which dealt with so well this week, tells us … the byword of the 45th Parliament is compromise.”

Backbench unrest

While Mr Brandis lauds the government’s performance, Mr Turnbull may arrive home from New York to deal with a nightmare scenario – his one-seat majority in Parliament evaporating.

Labor says Coalition backbencher George Christensen appears to be running the government, as the conservative MP threatens to quit the party over the backpacker tax.

George Christensen’s view on the backpacker tax could be a problem for the PM. Photo: AAP

Mr Christensen told voters in his north Queensland electorate of Dawson he would turn independent if the government didn’t back down on plans to scrap tax-free thresholds for working holidaymakers.

“I’m not trying to destabilise, but I was that confident such a change will occur that I gave that commitment to locals when I was asked about it before the election,” he said.

The revelation comes just days after Mr Christensen and other conservatives on the government backbench claimed credit for changes to superannuation policy.

“Who elected George Christensen? Certainly he got elected in his seat but it appears like he is running the government,” Labor frontbencher Penny Wong told ABC TV.

Gay marriage challenges

However, the same-sex marriage plebiscite remains a problem for the government despite progress in other areas.

The same-sex marriage plebiscite is still an issue for the Coalition. Photo: Getty

The agreement on the budget saving bill might have provided a new model for negotiating with the ALP on contentious legislation, with Mr Brandis suggesting the government may be willing to compromise on the mechanics of the same-sex marriage plebiscite if Labor agreed to have the vote.

“(But) the theme of this Parliament has to be compromise, we have to deal with the Parliament that the people gave us,” Senator Brandis told Sky News on Sunday.

Labor won’t make a formal stance on the plebiscite until its caucus meets again in October when the Parliament sits again, but the party’s leadership has raised their concerns.

-with AAP