Rob Oakeshott says he weighed up offers from Tony Abbott that got 'bigger and better'

ROB Oakeshott has indicated that Tony Abbott made a last-ditch attempt to woo the independent MP by offering him a senior Coalition position.

Independent Rob Oakeshott relaxes in a Port Macquarie playground with his wife Sara-Jane and their three children. Picture: Renee Nowytarger

ROB Oakeshott has indicated that Tony Abbott made a last-ditch attempt to woo the independent MP by offering him a senior Coalition position.

Mr Oakeshott said he met with the Opposition Leader six times on Monday, and Mr Abbott “had a cracking last 48 hours in the negotaiations”.

The independent MP said Mr Abbott's offers got “bigger and better” in the hours leading up to yesterday's decision by Mr Oakeshott and fellow independent Tony Windsor to support Labor, returning Julia Gillard to power with a minority government.

However Mr Oakeshott, who has been offered a place in the Gillard ministry, would not provide details of the Coalition offer.

“I have been clear about the government making an offer (of a ministry) but it is up to others to disclose if they also made an offer,” Mr Oakeshott told reporters at Port Macquarie in his NSW mid-north coast electorate of Lyne.

“It's not for me to break confidences but you should put that question to Tony Abbott.”

Comment was being sought from the Coalition.

Mr Oakeshott also bristled at the suggestion he had “backed Labor”.

“You clearly haven't listened anything to anything I have said over the past three weeks,” he said.

“I have given confidence and supply to the existing government. My very first comment yesterday was no-one has a mandate.

“This was an issues-based decision, not a political party-based decision. We were put in a position of being ... between Labor and Liberal, who weren't willing to sort it out themselves.”

Mr Oakeshott, who has three young children and whose wife Sara-Jane is eight months' pregnant with the couple's fourth, said he was yet to decide whether to accept Julia Gillard's offer of a regional affairs ministry.

“I don't want to be away from my family more and the question is can I play a bigger role in the parliament ... and also get the work-life balance thing right,” he said.

“But no-one should do any job in this country at the expense of family, so if we can make it work we'll give it a go but if we can't make it work with family as a priority, we won't.”

Asked about a backlash from within his own electorate about his decision to support the Gillard government, Mr Oakeshott said he hoped people wouldn't look at his stance “through a political prism”.

“There will be a full range of opinions (in Lyne),” Mr Oakeshott said.

“I think there will also be a counter-balancing of people who get `the moment'. We've got great access to government, and we will get great outcomes for government as a consequence, both at a local level, regional Australia level and also driving outcomes at a national government level as well.

“That's a pretty strong position that the electorate of Lyne is in.”

Mr Oakeshott said increased funding for local universities, a new wing for Port Macquarie Base Hospital, and greater investment in roads had already been secured.

Mr Oakeshott also defended the 17-minute speech he made yesterday leading up to the announcement of which party he was supporting.

“The reason I did want to take a bit of time yesterday was because as soon as I mentioned the words, `it's Julia Gillard or it's Tony Abbott', you guys (the media) would have switched the cameras off and walked.

“I wanted to take the opportunity to demonstrate we've gone through a long process and used our best endeavours to draw an outcome that we think is in local electorates' best interests, regional Australia's best interests and in keeping a stable parlaiment for the three years, the nation's best interests.”

As for his commitments in the coming days. Mr Oakeshott said he would be “a nappy changer”.

“I've got a few jobs to do,” he said.