A federal opposition no-confidence motion in the government looks increasingly unlikely to go ahead after key independent MPs branded it a stunt and challenged the Coalition to block Labor's budget bills instead.
Manager of opposition business Christopher Pyne has written to five independent MPs - but not former Labor member Craig Thomson - seeking their support for the motion, which could bring on the election earlier on August 3, instead of September 14.
Mr Pyne said the government would be put into caretaker mode so "highly contentious matters, including continued borrowings, could be dealt with after an election by a government that had a mandate for them one way or the other".
"Supporting a no-confidence motion would be an unequivocal way for crossbench members of parliament to demonstrate that previous support for the Gillard government had not fundamentally compromised their independence," he wrote. Independent MP Tony Windsor said he was "more than happy" for parliament's confidence to be tested.
"It would be a worthwhile exercise as we draw to the conclusion of the parliament for MPs to express their views on its performance and I would welcome that debate," Mr Windsor said.
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But if the opposition was serious about going to an early election it should block the government's budget bills to be debated on Monday, he added. Fellow independent MP Rob Oakeshott also challenged the coalition to vote against the budget bills, saying the letter was a "stunt".
"Grovelling to the crossbench, and giving letters to journalists before they are posted or emailed, and threatening to do something for week upon week upon week, builds the view that this is just the shallow tactics of destabilising, and has nothing to do with the substance of the most serious charge they are making," he told AAP.
Mr Pyne said it appeared the independents were determined to stick with Labor "to the bitter end".
"If, after three years of disasters and broken promises, crossbench members can't decide definitively now on whether or not they continue to support the Labor government, then their answer is pretty clear," Mr Pyne said.
He said in the letter that the carbon tax, the government's budget mismanagement, the failure to properly deal with boat-arriving asylum seekers and instability over the Labor leadership were key reasons to support the motion.
The coalition will only proceed with the motion in the remaining three weeks of the parliamentary sitting if the independent MPs back it, Mr Pyne said.
"If they come back and say forget it, well, we're not going to waste everyone's time," Mr Pyne said.
Leader of the House Anthony Albanese dismissed Mr Pyne's threat as "nonsense".
The motion has not yet been put on the parliament's notice paper.
