Australia's limbo continues

Australia will remain in political limbo until next week with the trio of independents who will decide the next government still undecided about which party to support.

Tasmanian independent Andrew Wilkie has thrown his support behind Labor despite a $1 billion coalition offer to build a new hospital in Hobart.

Mr Wilkie said Labour's offer - of $A100 million upfront and negotiations for further money - was more responsible and the coalition had not explained where it would get the funds.

Opposition treasury spokesman Joe Hockey said Mr Wilkie hadn't asked where the money would come from.

Queensland independent Bob Katter released his wishlist of 20 items, including the scrapping of the resources rent tax and abandoning the plan for an emissions trading scheme.

Despite those two items being on his list Mr Katter has said he has not ruled out supporting Labour.

While Mr Wilkie has asked for a new hospital, Mr Katter says he wants rural hospitals to be directly funded by Canberra but run locally.

``I'm very proud to say there's no Andrew Wilkies in here,'' he told reporters in Canberra.

Mr Katter said he was anxious to be in concert with fellow independents Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott with his decision.

``We may not, at the end of the day, but I'm very anxious and I would be very strongly influenced by the position of my colleagues, as I hope they would be by my position,'' he said.

The trio wants legislation to stop an early poll, which would mean another election could only be called if the independents supported it.

``It's a sign of weakness if you're racing back to the polls every five minutes,'' he said.

Mr Katter praised fellow Queenslander Kevin Rudd for not trying to buy electorates during his term of government.

He said former prime minister John Howard had spent $A700 million to build a railway ``from nowhere to nowhere'' in South Australia to win over voters during his reign.

He compared it to Mr Wilkie's demands.

``This Wilkie thing yesterday seems we're back in the bad old days.''

Mr Windsor is adamant he is yet to decided which party to support.

``We haven't made up our minds,'' he told reporters in Canberra.

While Mr Windsor hasn't put a wishlist to the leaders, as fellow independent Bob Katter has, he wouldn't rule out seeking things for regional Australia.

``I'm trying to work out some of the stability issues, in terms of can this parliament actually work,'' he said.
   Mr Windsor said the possibility he wouldn't support either side was now ``remoter than it was''.

``There's probably still a 10 per cent chance that there is another election, but I don't sense from either side that they want another election,'' he said.

- AAP