Prime Minister Julia Gillard says Labor will put a stop to longwinded answers in Question Time and consider appointing an independent speaker if the Government is returned to power.

Ms Gillard today addressed the National Press Club in Canberra to set out her case for a Labor government, 10 days after the federal election failed to deliver a decisive result.

The three incumbent independents who will decide whether to keep Ms Gillard as Prime Minister or install Tony Abbott's Coalition in a minority government have demanded that both parties commit to significant changes to how Parliament is run.

Ms Gillard today flagged a number of changes Labor would make if returned to government after yesterday presenting the independents with a reform paper.

"I want to renovate that Labor tradition, to deliver lasting and durable improvements to our democracy," she said.

"I freely accept that reform of the House of Representatives was not a major priority of our first term and it clearly needs to be a priority now.

"I think we can agree an immediate set of reforms that would make a difference to private members' business, private members' bills, the operation of Question Time, the way the Parliament works, and then there are a set of longer-term reforms.

"I think we can agree an immediate set of reforms that can make a difference."

Mr Abbott, meanwhile, has sent Ms Gillard a letter proposing the establishment of a parliamentary reform committee to be chaired by the former chair of the House, Ian Harris, and consist of other past politicians.

"This committee could then be available to the independents to establish a reform agenda that would be supported across the Parliament," Mr Abbott wrote.

With the country independents expected to lobby hard on regional issues, Ms Gillard also used her speech to again talk up Labor's rural credentials.

And she said she wanted Parliament to find common ground on issues of health, education, transport and Indigenous affairs.

Negotiations between Ms Gillard, Mr Abbott and the independents are continuing, with the crossbenchers today receiving briefings from government department heads.