Each week, our correspondents will bring you the moments not to miss from both sides on the road to polling day.
Parramatta to Perth: Scott Morrison
As Scott Morrison soared across the skies this week from Sydney to Melbourne to Adelaide and Perth, he’s been warning of the “carnival of chaos” to come if his government fails to win an outright majority.
As the choreographed events spin on, by suggesting that direct action from voters could thwart the “capture of the Liberal party” by the extreme right.
At the same time, Mr Turnbull maintains that he is not encouraging people to change from blue to teal.
But if a hung parliament bargain includes agreements on things like stronger climate action, there will be significant attention on the next move from the Nationals too.
And the prime minister is .
Press conferences can be combative.
This week the atmosphere hit wall-of-noise territory, with Mr Morrison regularly speaking right through interjections as journalists tried to get a clear answer and cut through the talking points.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Liberal candidate for Parramatta Maria Kovacic at Alba’s Pastries on Day 25 of the 2022 federal election campaign, in Granville in Sydney, in the seat of Parramatta. Source: AAP / MICK TSIKAS/AAPIMAGE
The prime minister day-tripped from the east coast to the South Australian electorate of Boothby and also visited Melbourne Liberal marginal seat Chisholm and seats the coalition wants to win like Parramatta in Sydney and Cowan in Western Australia.
There has been a strong focus on the Australian migrant story with a visit to Eid morning prayers to end Ramadan, and a multicultural Liberal event with Indian, Greek Orthodox and local Islamic representatives among many others.
The key moment of the week came late on Tuesday afternoon when the Reserve Bank delivered breaking news confirming for the first time in more than a decade the cash rate is going up.
It was a small increase from a record low, going from 0.1 to 0.35 per cent.
But coupled with the prediction that inflation is now expected to hit 6 per cent this year, well above the growth in wages, and the government’s economic management narrative has taken a blow.
The Prime Minister again made the case that the people of Australia “don’t have to like” the person who leads the country, rather they just need to know they can do the job.
The campaign hasn’t seen a truckload of big picture policy announcements, rather targeted and local spending, suggesting the coalition doesn’t think the general public is deeply engaged yet.
Mr Morrison is regularly returning to visit his family and while they haven’t been a feature of this week’s campaign strategy their culinary pursuits have.
Which brings us to the chicken.
Social media uproar followed the prime minister’s latest kitchen forays when he
Mr Morrison maintains the food was cooked and people in his own household went back for seconds.
Whether the Australian public will go back for a second helping of his leadership, is no doubt the subject of furious internal marginal seat polling.
Perth to Sydney: Anthony Albanese
It was the first time a major party held its launch in Western Australia since World War Two, signalling just how important the West is in securing Labor’s path to government.
This was Oppositon leader Anthony Albanese’s chance to make his pitch to voters, using the theme “better future” to rally the crowd of around 600 party faithful in a packed room at Optus stadium.
Australian Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese (right) and shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong acknowledge the crowd at the Labor Party campaign launch at Optus Stadium. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch) NO ARCHIVING Source: AAP / LUKAS COCH/AAPIMAGE
Popular WA Labor Premier Mark McGowan lent a hand to his friend and colleague, receiving a raucous welcome on stage before warming up the crowd for his federal counterpart.
Mr McGowan jokingly described the pair as “completely in sync” having “caught Covid on the same day” and being “proud poodle owners”.
There was a star cameo from Hollywood actor Russell Crowe, who voiced a Labor ad campaign at the beginning of the event.
Mr Albanese walked on stage to the pub rock classic of Gang Gajang's Sounds of Then (This is Australia).
Former Prime Ministers Kevin Rudd and Paul Keating made the trek to WA, walking into the room to Kylie Minogue's 2001 hit, Can't Get You Out Of My Head.
South Australia’s newly crowned Labor Premier Peter Malinauskas was also in attendance.
Labor hopes it can snatch the marginal liberal-held seats of Swan and Pearce and sandbag its seat of Cowan, held by Anne Aly on a less than 1 per cent margin.
Opposition leader Anthony Albanese holds a dog as he visits Addison Road Community Centre in Marrickville, Sydney, on Day 26 of the 2022 federal election campaign. Source: AAP / LUKAS COCH/AAPIMAGE
Labor unveiled its centrepiece housing policy to help low-income Australians get their foot in the property market, by contributing up to a 40 per cent stake in their homes.
It followed the much-anticipated rate hike decision from the Reserve Bank, setting up a cost-of-living crisis battlefield for both major parties.
Labor seizing on the interest rate rise, by attacking the coalition’s credentials on its economic management.
It’s telling voters the Morrison government had overseen a “triple whammy” of economic issues from high interest rates, to rising inflation and stagnant wage growth.
By Thursday though, Mr Albanese was in the spotlight for a policy stumble, after failing to recite his party’s six-point plan on the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
The awkward exchange saw Mr Albanese grilled by reporters, while flipping through his policy documents and finally being handed the answer by a staffer.
Mr Albanese came out swinging at his press conference the next day, telling reporters “gotcha question” were “one of the things that puts people off politics”.
