The Australian Greens and independent Nick Xenophon have indicated they are willing to work with the Rudd government to ensure key budget measures get through the Senate.
From next week Labor will have to rely on the support of the five Greens, Senator Xenophon and Family First's Steve Fielding to get legislation through the Senate if the coalition won't back the laws.
The government accuses the coalition of being economic vandals for planning to block a tax hike on ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages and changes to the Medicare levy surcharge threshold.
Treasurer Wayne Swan told reporters the budget surplus was a crucial buffer in a time of international economic uncertainty.
"For the Liberal Party to try and blow a hole in that surplus is the height of economic irresponsibility," he said.
Greens leader Bob Brown has already written to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd with ideas about how to make the measures more palatable to win Greens' support.
"Now we haven't heard back and I think the prime minister's department is yet to wake up to the powers of the Senate," he told ABC Radio.
"It would be better for the government to have responded long ago to the Greens' request and to have come up with a proposal.
"It's 12 years since Labor was in office and many of the ministers are not practised with making informative approaches to the Senate."
And Senator Xenophon suggests the government should consider indexing the Medicare levy surcharge, which would equate to a threshold of about $75,000 in today's dollars, instead of the planned $100,000.
