Malcolm Turnbull will accept the verdict of the Australian people but remains "quietly confident" he'll be able to form a majority government.
Taking a less combative tone than his after-midnight post-poll speech, the prime minister cautioned it may take until the end of next week to determine the result of Saturday's election.
While Mr Turnbull would have preferred a clearer outcome, he acknowledged Australians expected all politicians, especially him, to just get on with the job.
"We will dedicate our efforts to ensuring that the state of new parliament is resolved without division or rancour," he told reporters in Sydney on Sunday.
"It is very important to recognise that this is the people's house, the people have chosen the members of the parliament, and we will work with all of them to deliver the stability and the leadership that Australians expect."
Mr Turnbull has already spoken with some crossbenchers and says the coalition will seek to work constructively with all members of parliament.
About a third of all ballots were cast in pre-polling or postal votes and could take up to 13 days to be received.
Mr Turnbull noted those early votes traditionally favoured the coalition.
"I suspect that we will see seats moving from one side of the ledger to the other until the count is completed," he said.
The prime minister paid tribute to coalition MPs who lost their seats, saying he had also spoken with them on Sunday to thank them for their service.
Ministers Wyatt Roy and Peter Hendy are amongst the losers.
Asked if he would include Tony Abbott in the new ministry, Mr Turnbull said he intended to have the same frontbench.
"I am not proposing to bring back any particular individuals," he said.
"The focus is on completing the count, on ensuring we know who is in the parliament, and then we can settle the form of the government after that."
