Support for the federal coalition is now at its lowest level since Malcolm Turnbull ousted Tony Abbott as prime minister, the first Newspoll of the year shows.

As parliament returns this week after the summer break, Labor leads 54 to 46 per cent on a two-party preferred basis.

The survey of more than 1700 people taken from last Thursday and published in Monday’s News Corp shows the coalition’s primary vote falling 39 per cent to 35.

The last time it was that low two years ago, Mr Abbott faced a move to spill his leadership after the he brought back knighthoods, including one for Prince Philip.

Labor’s primary vote remains unchanged at 36 per cent, with independents and minor parties earning a surge in support from 15 to 19 per cent.

Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party enjoys an eight per cent national primary vote – the same level of support it garnered at the 1998 election.

This is the seventh consecutive Newspoll lead for Labor, last holding one this large the weekend before Mr Turnbull successfully challenged Mr Abbott for the leadership.

One of Mr Turnbull’s reasons at the time was the government had lost 30 consecutive Newspoll.

The coalition’s result comes after a summer of expenses scandals, the loss of the former health minister Sussan Ley from the ministry, and a backlash over the Centrelink debt recovery system.

Mr Turnbull has also come under scrutiny for his $1.75 million donation to the Liberal Party for the 2016 federal election campaign and his “frank and forthright” phone call with US President Donald Trump.

In response to the Newspoll, Senior cabinet minister Christopher Pyne echoed said the government’s priorities were energy prices, the cost of childcare fees and jobs.

“Whether the polls are up or down in February 2017 when an election is not due until mid-2019 is really neither here nor there,” he told ABC radio on Monday.