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Malcolm Turnbull has told Melbourne radio station 3AW there will be no legislation to legalise same-sex marriage until a plebiscite has been held. Photograph: Tracey Nearmy/AAP

Malcolm Turnbull has killed a push to bring forward a new private members bill on same-sex marriage, saying legislation wont be brought on until there has been a vote of the Australian people.

The prime minister told 3AW on Tuesday the government would not allow a new private members bill to be considered until a plebiscite on the question had been held. That is our position. That is our policy.

There has been open talk around the government for months that moderates have been preparing another legislative sortie on marriage equality. That activity is the backdrop to covertly recorded comments made by Christopher Pyne over the weekend.

Pyne said at a Liberal party function that marriage equality would happen and, I think it might even be sooner than everyone thinks. And your friends in Canberra are working on that outcome.

Pynes indiscretion triggered a fierce backlash from conservatives, and prompted the prime ministerial shutdown on Tuesday.

Turnbull said MPs were entitled to bring forward any matter in the Coalition party room and marriage equality will be considered by the party room in the run-up to the next federal election.

But he said the government had no plans to change the current policy. Im just saying to you that the government has a policy, we have no plans to change it, full stop.

A recent Senate inquiry paved the way for a Coalition private members bill.

Government moderates who have been preparing new legislation believe the Coalitions position on marriage equality must now default to a free vote, because the plebiscite has been defeated, and Tony Abbott said publicly the 44th parliament would be the last to be bound to the plebiscite commitment.

That position is rejected by conservatives. Tasmanian Eric Abetz said on Tuesday morning the plebiscite policy stood, and it was particularly important that cabinet ministers defended party room policy.

Pynes bout of plain speaking on marriage equality, and his declaration that party moderates are in the winners circle has triggered another factional brawl within the government, and the public airing of hostilities.

Abetz took exception to Pyne undermining the governments policy on marriage and his statement of long time support for Turnbull. Pyne told his colleagues at the Liberal party function over the weekend he and the attorney general, George Brandis, had voted for Turnbull in every ballot he had stood in.

What Mr Pyne regrettably did was provide a verbal selfie to the Australian public and I dont think it was a very pretty picture, Abetz said, describing the outburst as divisive and hubristic.

Abetz said cabinet ministers who lost confidence in the party leader were duty bound to report their disloyalty to the leader, and then resign.

With his MPs in open dispute, Turnbull said on Tuesday the party room was very harmonious, very united.

The prime minister said unity was evidenced in the government dealing with difficult issues including schools funding and energy policy. We have come to very solid landings on that.

Asked whether there was bad blood inside the government, Turnbull said the government was united, although he conceded people could rub each other up the wrong way.

Look, people in politics, individuals, get scratchy with each other, and thats human nature. But the fact is the government is delivering.

Asked how he could combat voter disengagement, Turnbull said the antidote was truth-telling and delivery.

Asked by his host Neil Mitchell about impressions that he was a Labor lite prime minister who didnt believe in anything, Turnbull said: These are headlines written by clickbait journalists.

You are better than that, Neil. You are better than that.

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Malcolm Turnbull kills off moderate Liberals' push for marriage equality bill - The Guardian