Incoming independent MP Andrew Wilkie has described the justification for the war in Afghanistan as "one of the great lies of the election campaign".

Mr Wilkie has claimed victory in the Tasmanian seat of Denison, but he will wait a few more days before declaring who he will support in a hung parliament.

He met Prime Minister Julia Gillard in Melbourne yesterday and presented her with a list of 20 issues that are important to him.

While his stance on the Afghanistan war is not part of that list, Mr Wilkie has made it clear he is against troops staying there.

"The war in Afghanistan and what is being said by the Coalition and the Labor Party is one of the great lies of this election campaign," he said.

"Both Labor Party members and Coalition members continue to perpetuate this nonsense, that we're only there to fight terrorists to prevent them coming to Australia, to prevent them committing terrorist attacks here."

He says politicians need to be honest about the reasons Australia is still in Afghanistan.

"They at the moment are trying to implement a policy put in place by, I think, incompetent politicians and this continuing lie about why we are there," he said.

"Let's be honest: let's say we're there to help the people of Afghanistan and to bolster our bilateral relationship with the US."

He says he did originally support the invasion in November 2001 and he still backs Australian soldiers "100 per cent", but there is no need to stay.

"I don't know the solution from here. If we stay people will die, if we go people will die," he said.

"But I do know peace will only come to Afghanistan when foreign troops are out and I think they should get out as soon as possible."

Two more soldiers died last week in Afghanistan, taking the total number of Australian troops killed in Afghanistan since 2001 to 21.

Abbott's apology

Mr Wilkie also says Mr Abbott has apologised on behalf of the Coalition for his treatment when he was a whistleblower over the Iraq war in 2003.

Mr Wilkie, who was working as a government intelligence analyst, said there was no intelligence to suggest Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and resigned.

"I was heartened by the fact that Tony Abbott, the other day in a telephone conversation... he did apologise on behalf of the Coalition for the way I was treated," Mr Wilkie said.

"I suppose he had to do that but I'll assume it was genuine."

Mr Wilkie is meeting Mr Abbott in Canberra tomorrow.

His list of 20 concerns includes a $20 million assistance package for Tasmanian forest contractors, concerns over the fate of the Royal Hobart Hospital and a betting limit on poker machines.