Barnaby Joyce's landslide win in Saturday's New England by-election has given Malcolm Turnbull a huge boost of confidence, not only from a government point of view but also a personal one.
"I have every confidence that I will lead the coalition to the next election in 2019 and we will win it," the prime minister told Sky News on Sunday.
He said unlike opinion polls, which have the government trailing Labor by a 10-point margin, this was a real poll.
Mr Joyce enjoyed a primary vote of 64 per cent in the by-election, which was called after he was found to be a dual-citizen by the High Court.
The Nationals leader described it as a "spectacular win".
"It's a little bit awe-inspiring," he told ABC television.
Mr Turnbull is very confident Mr Joyce's presence back in Canberra will return discipline to the ranks of the coalition government.
"I am very confident we will be able to see a disciplined approach to teamwork within the coalition," Mr Turnbull told Sky News on Sunday.
"Having Barnaby back as (Nationals) leader is obviously very important."
Such solidarity has been missing in recent weeks, with several Nationals, including maverick MP George Christensen, successfully pushing for a royal commission into the banks after almost two years of Mr Turnbull standing strongly against one.
Mr Joyce acknowledged the royal commission was a big win for the Nationals, although he wouldn't be surprised if it did not draw much more than has been heard through other inquiries.
But he said Mr Christensen also understood the need for strong government to get things done and will stick with the party.
"I'm trying to think of a time when people said I was too compliant," Mr Joyce joked.
He said the Nationals will always fight for things it believes in in its own right, as will the Liberals on their own issues.
"That's how it works in a business relationship," he said.
Former prime minister John Howard had called for federal coalition party members to "take a cold bath and calm down" after a chaotic week for the government.
His comments followed NSW Nationals leader John Barilaro's call for Mr Turnbull to resign as a "Christmas gift" to Australians.
Mr Joyce also disagreed with former Nationals leader John Anderson who believes conservatives are leaving the party leaving in droves.
"The New England by-election shows we have a conservative vote," he said.
He said it is the Labor Party who should be asking what happened to its blue-collar vote.
Mr Turnbull also promised there would be no preference deals with One Nation at the next federal election, "full stop".
