Ms Ley, the assistant shadow treasurer, said she noted Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s promises yesterday to deliver on health and education in rural Australia but fears such promises to the independent MPs won’t last three years.

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“There isn’t unlimited money and both sides of politics have acknowledged that they would have to get the debt under control,’’ she said.

“Spending in one area must be offset by cuts somewhere else.’’

While she could not say the government won’t last three years, she couldn’t see the promises being made being sustained all that time.

Ms Ley, who gained 42,600 primary votes in the election, will attend a Liberal partyroom meeting in Canberra tomorrow.

She said it would be up to Mr Abbott to choose his new line-up over the next few days.

She was appointed assistant to shadow treasurer Joe Hockey in December but she is not in the shadow cabinet.

“I have enjoyed working in taxation as shadow assistant treasurer but have never lobbied for any portfolio,’’ she said.

Ms Ley said the decisions of Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott to back Labor and that of Mr Katter to back the Coalition came as no surprise to her.

“I knew it would be difficult for Bob Katter to support Labor because of the Greens’ policies,’’ she said.

She said Greens Leader Bob Brown had yesterday made clear his intentions to use the Greens’ powerful position when they hold the balance in the Senate next year.