Mr Entsch also targeted conservative Coalition frontbenchers for agitating publicly for religious exemptions in same-sex marriage legislation, to be debated in the Senate this week, urging them to step down if they want to freely express their views.

Senators and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten's shadow cabinet have returned to Canberra for a week that will be centred around same-sex marriage, with Labor warning it will take a dim view of attempts to derail the bill's successful passage with amendments to allow religious exemptions.

Mr Turnbull is also dismissing any federal implications of the LNP's poor showing in Saturday's Queensland state election, with Nationals-aligned Mr Christensen blaming the federal leadership and policy direction for the result.

Liberal-aligned Mr Entsch hit back on Monday morning, questioning his colleague's apology on behalf of the LNP to voters who have drifted to One Nation.

"George is always firing shots. I guess, as a backbencher, he's entitled to do that and he has his own views of the world," he told ABC radio.

"To apologise to One Nation voters ... I mean, there's no reason. What he should be doing is explaining, if there are issues there, explaining his particular stand and explaining to all of his electorate the rationale behind his stand. I don't think that going out and apologising to one opponent or other ... is appropriate.

"I'll give George a message now: 'George, you are actually part of the Turnbull government, you are a member of the government'. I just thought I'd give him that message in case he didn't realise. He is a part of the government and he needs to be working with them and he does, he raises issues on matters."

With Parliament set to consider same-sex marriage, Mr Entsch - a longtime campaigner for the change - said the public agitation by several Turnbull government frontbenchers for strong religious exemptions was "not helpful".

Mr Entsch pointed to comments made by Assistant Minister for Cities and Digital Transformation Angus Taylor, Assistant Minister to the Treasurer Michael Sukkar and Assistant Minister for Social Services and Multicultural Affairs Zed Seselja and said he had previously turned down a ministerial portfolio so he could campaign publicly for causes he was passionate about.

"So what I'm saying to these guys, these ministers is: By all means, if you want to go chasing religious exemptions and all the rest of it, please do so, but do us a favour and step down, step down from your portfolios. You can speak freely then without breaching ministerial codes," he said.

Mr Shorten said the Queensland result was a combination of state and federal issues.

"The point about it is that if Mr Turnbull thinks there [are] no federal implications at all for him or his government, then he is living in la-la land," the Opposition Leader said.

Education Minister Simon Birmingham said Mr Christensen's characterisation of the result was "ridiculous".

Meanwhile, Attorney-General George Brandis argued the election was fought on state issues such as the record of the Palaszczuk??? Labor government, the legacy of the Newman LNP government, the Adani mine and deals with One Nation.

"None of the headline issues in the Queensland election campaign were federal issues, they were Queensland issues," he said.

On same-sex marriage, Senator Brandis said he favoured an amendment that would make clear people had the right to live according to their religious beliefs but warned that the 61.6 per cent "yes" result of the survey should not be used as a "platform to reopen a broader debate about discrimination law".

"That's not what the Australian people voted on in the marriage survey. What they voted on in the marriage survey was yes or no to a very simple question, 'Should the law be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry?'"