Bill Shorten and Malcolm Turnbull will both make last-gasp bids to sway voters in the Tasmanian seat of Braddon this morning.
Key points:
- Five by-elections will be decided today
- Braddon and Longman are too close to call while Labor is confident of holding Perth and Fremantle
- The Liberals expect Centre Alliance candidate Rebekha Sharkie to defeat their candidate Georgina Downer in the seat of Mayo
The Labor leader failed to campaign yesterday in any of the five by-elections, while the Prime Minister appeared in Longman but was heckled.
Mr Shorten will be out electioneering today, urging voters in the ultra-marginal seat to back his candidate Justine Keay.
Mr Turnbull highlighted Mr Shorten's absence yesterday, suggesting the Labor leader wanted to avoid questions.
Labor sources have moved to counter the perception that Mr Shorten has been dodging appearances by pointing out he has spent 29 days in by-election seats.
In a sign of how tight the contest is, both men will be campaigning today in the north-west Tasmanian seat.
It is a re-run of the 2016 contest where Ms Keay narrowly defeated Liberal Brett Whiteley, who held it for the previous three years.
Labor risks historic defeat
Mr Shorten's visit to Braddon today is aimed at helping fend off a historic by-election loss.
Labor hopes to hold Braddon and Longman north of Brisbane, but neither side of politics is confident of the result.
If either seat falls to the Coalition, it will be the first time since 1920 a federal government has won a seat from an opposition in a by-election.
Mutterings persist that Labor should at least consider its leadership if it loses either Longman or Braddon.
Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese, who ran for leader against Mr Shorten in 2013, has given an absolute guarantee that he will not challenge for the leadership.
"The only thing I'm interested in is being a minister in a Labor Government, it will be led by Bill Shorten, that's my only priority, my only concern," he said.
How to get the best bits of the by-elections:
- Head over to the ABC News Politics page to find all the latest news from the campaigns as well as our live blog on Super Saturday
- Sign up for alerts from ABC News on Facebook Messenger and we'll let you know as soon as seats have been called
- On Saturday settle in for a night of #auspol with our ABC News special broadcast starting at 6pm. You can tune in on TV, iview, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube
A senior Labor source has described the leadership discussion as a "beat-up" but told the ABC that Labor wins in Braddon and Longman would end the chatter.
One Nation set to alter Longman result
Mr Shorten is also expected to campaign later today in Longman, where One Nation preferences are tipped to influence the outcome.
In 2016, One Nation urged its voters to give their preferences to Labor, but at this by-election it is suggesting they put the LNP's Trevor Ruthenberg ahead of the ALP's Susan Lamb.
One Nation's leader Pauline Hanson has been on a cruise in Europe for the final days of the long-running campaign.
Her absence has coincided with former One Nation staff member Sean Black being jailed for rape and a controversy over One Nation candidate Mathew Stephen's business.
In the seat of Mayo in the Adelaide Hills, Centre Alliance's Rebekha Sharkie is set to defeat Liberal Georgina Downer.
Mr Turnbull has described Ms Downer as "an outstanding candidate" but Coalition sources do not expect her to win what was previously a safe Liberal seat.
The PM has repeatedly said that whatever happens in these by-elections he will wait until next year to call the general election.
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