Labor frontbencher Chris Bowen does not expect the party's heavily-criticised election campaign to be the subject of much attention when government MPs and senators meet in Canberra today.
The Labor caucus is holding its first meeting since the August 21 poll minus about a score of its members from the previous parliament.
Liberal MPs and senators also are meeting in Parliament House with their numbers swelled by an election that produced Australia's first hung parliament in 70 years.
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Mr Bowen said the caucus would discuss how Labor was planning to form a stable minority government, supported by the Australian Greens and three independents.
"That will be the focus of the caucus today and the members of the ministry," he told ABC Radio.
Mr Bowen defended the performance of ALP national secretary Karl Bitar who many in the party see as being responsible largely for the party's poor campaigning.
"The campaign was difficult in many instances, we had many difficult issues to respond to during the campaign."
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott arrived at Parliament House by bike following an early-morning ride.
"It's going to be an interesting day," he told reporters.The Liberal meeting will re-elect its party leaders unopposed, after frontbencher Andrew Robb opted not to run against deputy Julie Bishop.
That decision pleased one of his colleagues, Christopher Pyne, who said most MPs and senators did not want to see a change in the leadership.
"We've had a good team and we need to continue with that team," he said.
Labor frontbencher Simon Crean said minority government would require a different approach.
"We will be seeking to get support for our positions," he told ABC Radio.
"If we can't get that support we will have to negotiate other positions."
Mr Crean, who presently holds the education and workplace relations portfolios, said he was looking forward to being an active participant and negotiator in the new Gillard government.
Opposition frontbencher Joe Hockey continued to play up confusion between Treasurer Wayne Swan and Independent MP Tony
Windsor over Labor's proposed mining tax.
Mr Windsor and a second country Independent backing Labor, Rob Oakeshott, have said they want a resource rent tax discussed during a summit they negotiated for the Henry tax review.
Mr Swan has said the government is proceeding with its plan to introduce legislation for the 30 per cent minerals resource rent tax, negotiated with big miners before the election.
"The traffic light coalition of red, green and amber independents is already flashing a warning sign to the Australian people," he told reporters.
"That is, if the government can't deliver on its mining tax, it's going to have a $10.5 billion hole in its own budget.
The problem was structural, Mr Hockey said, not just a teething problem.
"I'd give them a healthy dose of Bonjela and suggest to them that a Panadol is not going to solve their problems," he said.
"They have a structural problem when they can't agree with each other."
Labor backbencher Mike Symon said the caucus meeting would not be a bloodbath.
"I think we're sitting around today to talk about where we're going to in the future, how we're actually going to run a government in minority," he told reporters.
Mr Symon said the right cabinet position for former leader Kevin Rudd was the one that Prime Minister Julia Gillard determined.
"Anyone with ability, who can do the job, has proven track record, should be someone that we need to have in the cabinet."
Mr Symon, who increased his majority in the previously ultra-marginal Victorian seat of Deakin, said Labor should consider what happened during the election campaign on a state-by-state basis.
"I don't think anything went particularly wrong in my campaign, down in Victoria I think we ran a fairly good campaign.
"We focussed a lot on what we did locally, and that was important."
Mr Symon would not be drawn on what happened in Queensland, where Labor lost a swag of seats to the coalition.
"I know the state government up there doesn't rate as highly as in Victoria but there's other reasons too, I'm sure."
Liberal frontbencher Bruce Bilson said Ms Bishop had his support.
"She has my admiration and support," he told reporters.
"Julie's done a terrific job, in foreign affairs she's been a very safe pair of hands, a very coherent spokesperson for foreign policy."
Mr Bilson said he wasn't sure if country Independent MP Rob Oakeshott, who has been offered a ministry in the Gillard
government, would make a good minister.
"My contact with Rob's more around touch footy and discussions on a more relaxed level. I don't know how he'd go as a minister nor the context in which he'd operate," he said.
"That's a tough decision for him."
Mr Bilson's colleague Don Randall described Mr Robb's possible challenge as "a bit of a brain snap".
"I just don't think it was well thought out," he said.
Mr Randall laughed off suggestions Mr Robb was actually targeting Mr Hockey's job.
"What a joke," he said.
But he agreed with the criticism of Nationals senator Ron Boswell, who believes there's an element of payback in the decision of Mr Windsor and Mr Oakeshott, both former Nationals, to put Labor into government.
"I think Tony Windsor's got a few scores to settle," he said.
"Rob Oakeshott, I think, if you look at his voting pattern in the house, he generally votes with Labor, so Bos's comments there were probably reasonably accurate."
