Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says history shows the last minority government fell apart after 18 months.

Mr Abbott is still hopeful of becoming prime minister by convincing the two country independents who backed Labor to switch sides.

He says that happened to the minority government formed between the United Australia Party, the Country Party and two independents in 1940.

"Eighteen months later after a vote of no confidence, the independents changed sides and the new government won a landslide at the next election which was held at the normal time," he said.

"That's what happened the last time there was a hung Federal Parliament."

Labor holds a wafer-thin majority of just one vote and will need to negotiate with the Greens and three independents in order to keep the Government running.

Mr Abbott has flagged the Government's National Broadband Network - one of the areas crucial in swinging at least one independent towards supporting Labor - as a major battleground over the next 18 months.

He installed Malcolm Turnbull as the Opposition's communications spokesman and last week said he hoped the appointment would help convince the independents to switch sides.

"With someone like Malcolm in charge of communications policy, in charge of exposing the waste and extravagance inherent in the Government's broadband plans, that becomes a very real prospect," he said on Wednesday.

"I don't think we need another election. What I think we need is a good government, and what I think is pretty obvious is that we're not going to get government from the Labor Party."