Mr Stanhope said the party's lead in the popular vote made it the only credible choice for forming government after Saturday's election.

''It would be ironic in the extreme for the Greens, a party that is proud of its connections to the community in its first expression of its influence in the Assembly to ignore the views of the Assembly,'' Mr Stanhope said.

The Labor leader made the pitch for a third term while relaxing with family and staff at a barbecue at his home yesterday.

Despite his insistence that his party was the only choice for the Greens, he did concede the vote had included an expression of discontent.

''There's a level of dissatisfaction and disquiet with perhaps myself and my party and we need to continue to work our way through that,'' he said.

He said the party would need to work on issues of community consultation if it was to avoid a more severe battering at the polls in 2012.

''It is quite clear the community has put us on notice that if we don't change, if we don't lift our game, then at the election in four years time we won't have their support.''

However, Mr Stanhope dismissed the prospect of a factional shift within his party.

The likely victory of Joy Burch in Brindabella seems likely to stack the numbers in the favour of the Right faction.

The group, which includes ministers Andrew Barr and John Hargreaves, is looking likely to have four votes in the party room, a clear majority.

Mr Barr said the result would be the first time since 1998 that the party had one faction with dominance in caucus.

He said with a spill in positions occurring after each election he would again seek a place on the front bench, and did not rule out an approach for the treasury portfolio.

''It's a portfolio at some point I would be interested in holding, but it's not necessarily a likely outcome,'' Mr Barr said.

He said he would support Mr Stanhope and current deputy Katy Gallagher to retain their current positions.

Mr Hargreaves said the new term was an opportunity for Mr Stanhope to look toward the party's future and regeneration.

Mr Stanhope who is unaligned within the party said he would work to keep factional rivalry away from decision-making.

''I think its fair to say that there are no issues in relation to the distribution of portfolios or responsibility or appointments of position that in my time as Chief Minister have been affected or influenced by factional votes,'' he said.

''I see absolutely no reason why that would change even accepting that there may be a change within the caucus and the cabinet.''