Just weeks after their leader, Tony Abbott, pledged a "kinder, gentler polity" as he sought to woo the independents, his senior troops came out all guns blazing today, attacking the legitimacy of Julia Gillard's administration.

Liberal Senator George Brandis told ABC Radio the Labor government had "as much legitimacy as the Pakistani cricket team".

His colleague, Christopher Pyne, the opposition's manager of business in the House of Representatives, said the alliance between Labor, the Greens MP, Adam Bandt, and independents Andrew Wilkie, Rob Oakeshott, and Tony Windsor, was like "putting the mongoose and the cobra together".

Mr Pyne singled out Mr Windsor and Mr Oakeshott - whose support tipped Labor into office - saying their decision offended common sense.

"What went wrong yesterday is that common sense didn't prevail...it defied common sense," Mr Pyne told the ABC.

He ridiculed Ms Gillard's suggestion of letting "the sun shine in" to illuminate political proceedings, saying he wanted to continue to put the spotlight on what had been a bad government.

"This will not be a parliament where all of its history is turned on its head and we all sit around smoking a peace pipe singing Kum Bay Ya," he said.

Prominent Nationals senator Ron Boswell also took a swipe at Mr Windsor, claiming his decision could be seen as "payback" for years of enmity towards his former party.

At his press conference yesterday, Mr Abbott vowed to hold Labor "ferociously to account" in opposition.