Over a quarter of electors (27%) yet to make up their minds and election up for grabs

"This is the probably first election that I’ve seen where you’ve really had some fundamental issues at war with each other. At this election what the electorate wants is they want a healthy economy, they want the environment cared for and the want the cost of living preserved or not ‘flying through the roof’. So these three things don’t sit naturally together. You can’t just have all of them. Where does the money come from? Somebody has to think about these things. 

"So they’re are really playing out in this election. We know from surveying people’s views about the environment and Climate change until 2008 and the Global Financial Crisis everyone was saying the environment was the most important issue for them. Then when the Financial Crisis came the issue became what are we going to do about it and who is going to pay. Now that issue is what’s being played out today."

Examples from the recent past include Liberal Leader John Hewson tripping up on the GST implications for the ‘famous birthday cake’ in 1993 and losing the election.

In 2001 then PM John Howard looked headed for defeat but came from behind over the ‘children overboard’ issue. Three years later Howard started the election campaign behind but when Opposition Leader Mark Latham ‘lost his temper’ with an aggressive handshake perceived as an attempt to ‘bully’ Howard this led to a swift backlash and another Howard victory.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten's 'Electric car fiasco when a leader put on the spot didn't get the answer right could have been Bill Shorten's birthday cake moment'.

With nearly four weeks to go there is still time for the L-NP to gain the momentum required for victory. The interview with Levine was conducted before the latest Federal voting results shown above were available.

Click here to listen to the full 5min ABC NewsRadio interview.

For further information:
Gary Morgan: +61 411 129 094
Michele Levine: +61 411 129 093