The staff at Australia’s No.1 family newszine continue their exhaustive and exhausting coverage of the federal election campaign, regardless of the cost to their health or wealth.

The first question on everyone’s chapped lips, did Peter Dutton finally rediscover the mojo that The Australian‘s Simon Benson was certain he saw the other day and have a positive day on the hustings where he gained more votes than he lost?

In short – no. But neither did Prime Minister Anthony Albanese chalk up a win yesterday.

The two leaders were instead hit by an outbreak of dirty tactics on Good Friday as both sides appeared to have infiltrated each other’s tactical planning groups to organise embarrassing events for the Labor and Liberal leaders.

A seasoned member of the federal media gallery who did not wish to be sober told The Bug he had never seen anything like the underhanded, yet effective sabotage inflicted by both parties on their major opponent.

“Good Friday was always meant to be a relatively quiet day on the campaign trail,” the respected journalist said.

“Which probably explains how both Labor and the Libs managed to infiltrate the other and arrange events for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.

“There is no doubt that both parties had a mole in the other team’s tactical planning team.

“What else could explain the fact that Dutton chose to attend a Catholic Church service in western Sydney and be seen side by side with former PM Scott Morrison?

“The opportunities for Easter-style jokes and puns about the unpopular and discredited Scomo’s resurrection and Dutton needing a ‘miracle’ to win like Morrison did in 2019 should have been obvious to Liberal Party tacticians – unless they are totally stupid or were internally sabotaged.

“It was just a bad idea which led to an embarrassing encounter and all major media outlets such as The Australian (main picture) were there to capture the really bad optics.

“Meanwhile it was clear that Labor had also been infiltrated by a Liberal Party mole.

“Why else would Albo agree to be snapped as he was elsewhere in Sydney – again just bad optics.

“As the picture in The Australian shows today (below) the PM is clearly relaxed, leading anyone who sees it to conclude he arrogantly thinks he’s already won the election – that this campaign for him is now just a walk in the park!

“I’ve never witness political espionage this sophisticated and this effective before,” the senior reporter said.

***

The weekly YouGov poll lobbed yesterday, pushing Labor out to a 53-47 two-party lead, from last week’s 52-48 result. A stunning aspect of their results is that Labor and the LNP are now tied on 33 per cent primary vote. If the LNP records that primary vote on May 3, it will be the lowest since the 1940s. Pig-iron Bob must be spinning in his grave.

If our maths is correct, the average of the six polls we are monitoring now has Labor a neat 53 to 47 2PP. With another horrible week for Dutton and the long weekend now under way with voters’ minds now occupied elsewhere, has time run out for the LNP?

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And as to those bookie odds, at around 9.40pm last night (Friday), here are the odds from the betting agencies that we are monitoring, compared with 24 hours earlier!

Sportsbet: Labor $1.22 ($1.22); Coalition $4.30 ($4.30)
Ladbrokes: Labor $1.22 ($1.22); Coalition $4.25 ($4.25)
TAB: Labor $1.23 ($1.25); Coalition $4.20 ($4.00)
bet365: Labor $1.22 ($1.22) Coalition $4.20 ($4.20).
Neds: Labor $1.22 ($1.22); Coalition $4.25 ($4.25).

It looks like the punters’ minds have definitely gone elsewhere.

***

And now for our brand-new daily segment – well, it was yesterday – here’s our choice of the best piece of xcreta plopped on some pollie’s head on the hustings yesterday (Good Friday).

It’s Squizz, on Bridget McKenzie’s disastrous performance on the campaign trial these past three weeks.

But as with all good deputy dogs, she had been very, very, careful not to be as bad as her leader. What’s that cricket theory in a very similar vein: Never, ever, run out your captain!

BREAKING OVERNIGHT: Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s campaign office has defended his use of his Good Friday message to slam Labor’s record in government over the past three years and to use all of his time spruiking the need for the LNP to win the looming election to “get Australia back on track” rather than wishing Christians well for this holiest of times and for all Australians to have a safe four-day break full of fellowship and love of the greatest country on earth.

“Peter is the exact opposite of that bible-bashing, talker-in-tongues, fuckwit Scott Morrison,” one of Dutton’s senior staffers said. “Peter has never believed in a magic sky daddy so why shouldn’t he use every available speech between now and May 3 to alert voters to the risks of reelecting the economy-wrecking woke Labor that every Commie country wants to see re-elected instead of waffling on about some dark-skinned bloke who never existed being executed and rising from the dead three days later!”

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