Prime Minister Julia Gillard emphasised over the weekend the importance of loyalty and discipline within members of the Australian Labor Party, stressing that infighting and not the Coalition alone, would spell the end of Labor rule.

Her comments were made before The Herald Sun published on Monday its latest survey that showed Labor gradually catching up with the Coalition, its edge retreating by four points to 45 percent as of Feb 4.

The government, on the other hand, appears to be gaining ground with its voters' preference shooting up by four points to 33 percent, the new Herald Sun/Nielsen poll showed.

Clearly though, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott will snatch the prime minister post away from Gillard if elections were held today, with the latest poll showing the Coalition enjoying a 52 percent margin over Labor's 48 percent on a locked two-party showdown.

A certain Labor defeat will happen despite the first female prime minister gaining popularity by six percent to 48 percent while Abbott's appeal with the voters languished at 46 percent, the new poll numbers suggested.

However, Ms Gillard is convinced that Labor's most dangerous foe at this time is the party cracks that became more apparent with a number of ALP MPs allowing the outflow of leaks that the party's leadership is open for contest.

She warned that steady talks of leadership challenge coming from Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd would only further erode Labor's already slim chance of retaining the government by 2013.

Speculations allegedly fuelled by Labor MP-provided stories would only propel Abbott's ambition of capturing the top post next year, Gillard warned.

But the prime minister admitted that putting an end on circulating rumours would be next to impossible at this time, cautioning too that the current political environment would only encourage more challenges ahead.

"I understand that in the political situation the Government finds itself in, people are going to talk about those questions," The Daily Telegraph quoted Gillard as saying during the weekend Labor meet.

Gillard also conceded that as a woman running Australia's political and economic affairs, the pressure is more pronounced for her to display the personality that the public expects.

She insisted, however, that the "same standards should apply to me ... as a woman running the country."

Media reports noted that key Labor figures, including Senior Ministers Martin Ferguson and Simon Crean, were noticeably absent from the caucus called by Gillard, but party insiders, according to The Telegraph, noted that absences during such gatherings were normal occurrences.

Defence Minister Stephen Smith and Rudd also missed the caucus as both were abroad on official functions, though former Prime Minister Bob Hawke's surprise attendance appeared to have more than filled up for the two