The Coalition reaffirmed that pledge on May 13, the day before Wayne Swan handed down the budget, as Labor accused him of ''crab walking'' away from repeated threats to move the motion on budget day. Tony Abbott's promise to introduce a no confidence motion in this session of parliament is evaporating. Credit:Michele Mossop Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said then that the motion would be introduced in the next sitting fortnight: ''We said we will move a motion of no confidence. We will move a motion of no confidence in this government.'' The time frame gives the opposition until June 6, according to the parliamentary sitting schedule, to move its motion. But the Coalition now appears less keen to call no confidence since agreeing to pass most of the government's budget measures.

On Tuesday morning, a spokesman for Christopher Pyne said: ''The Coalition will move a motion of no confidence at the appropriate time.'' Christopher Pyne during question time on Tuesday. Credit:Andrew Meares A no-confidence motion is the most serious action an opposition can take against a government, and could trigger an immediate election if the opposition does not have the numbers to form government. Independent MPs have taunted Mr Abbott for retreating from his no-confidence motion. ''This is the most serious charge you can make against a government and they are pissing around,'' NSW independent Rob Oakeshott said.

Another NSW independent, Tony Windsor, said the Coalition had never, in two and a half years, sounded him out about a no-confidence motion. ''I've only heard about it through the press,'' he said. ''Tony won't do it, he's frightened to do it,'' Mr Windsor added. ''If he tested the motion he would find he had lost numbers rather than gained them. ''It might end up being a confidence motion in the government.'' Queensland's Bob Katter, who supported the Coalition after the 2010 federal election, said: ''I'm a little bit curious, I thought it was rather stupid to do it before the budget. I told Swanny [Wayne Swan] it would be a good idea if he agreed to it. ''I do think the vote two hours before a leadership contest was inappropriate and I told Tony Abbott that then.''

Tasmanian Andrew Wilkie said the motion was not on the notice paper. ''We don't know when it will be brought on and we don't know what the wording is. If it's put up I'll read it and make a decision on its merits and the debate that follows,'' Mr Wilkie said. ''We need to be very cautious about all of this, if only because if we go to an election before the 3rd of August it will only be for the House of Representatives, which means we'll be back in 12 months for a half-Senate election at the cost of $150 million. Loading ''So if he wants an early election after the 3rd of August, it's only a month before the due data anyway, so what's the point?''