Political analysts from The Bug – Australia’s No.1 family newszine – continue their expert dissection of the daily machinations of the federal election campaign, in the sure knowledge that their exhausting and thankless task will surely end one day.

Labor MPs and candidates have been shocked by yesterday’s tactical stumble by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the campaign trail, with many now reassessing their briefly held belief that Labor could secure majority government.

“In the first half of this campaign Albo has been firing on all four cylinders,” a senior Labor Party source said.

“Perhaps I should say he has been sparking on all 4,500 prismatic lithium-ion cells given our commitment to boosting the uptake of electric vehicles.

“Everyone thought the bad old days of the 2022 campaign when Albo fucked up on key stats on day one were behind us.

“He’s been on message, giving short and sharp answers to media questions, with the only distraction being that strange sibilant sound he makes when he obviously forgets to put his denture in the right way around.”

The source said the PM’s positive campaign performance came unstuck yesterday when he agreed to appear on the Nine Network’s Sunday Footy Show.

“It was a good idea for Albo to go on the show and connect with voters who are also NRL fans,” the source said. “But to go on dressed up in drag was a mistake. (main picture)

“I understand this disaster happened because neither Albo nor his advisers had actually watched the Footy Show since Fatty Vautin was host and would regularly – like every show from memory – frock up to take the piss as part of some parody skit.

“Times have changed since then. I mean sure the current hosts like Brad Fittler, Billy Slater, and Andrew Johns once joined in the dress-up fun alongside Fatty, but these days since the Me Too movement and all that, viewers expect better.

“After all the Footy Show now has a sheila on its hosting panel, although her name escapes me,” the Labor source said!

As mentioned above, on a quiet day on the hustings, both Nine News Queensland and ABC Queensland News last night showed the PM throwing footies through a target hole at Nine’s sports studio.

Nine showed Albo nailing his pass three times in a row. Didn’t even touch the sides. What a champion and mad Rabbitohs supporter in total control of his game!

And what did the ABC show? The PM repeatedly missing his target. Deliberate messaging perhaps? What you might have expected to see on a Nine News package making its way to the ABC instead. Did a booth editor there want to convey the idea that Labor’s campaign is not as sharp and focussed as it should be?

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Newspoll lobbed overnight, and while the two-party preferred stayed unchanged in Labor’s favour 52-48, it did not suggest week three had gone any better for the Opposition.

Labor’s primary vote lifted 1 per cent to 34, only one behind the LNP who stayed on 35. Other polls also have both sides neck and neck on primary support.

Albanese moved further ahead as preferred PM and Dutton’s approval rating dipped to minus 22.

So, with Newspoll unchanged, the average of the six polls we are monitoring now keeps Labor about 53.4 to 46.6 2PP. With the long weekend now almost over and another coming up, has time run out for the LNP?

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And as for the bookies, at around 9.40pm last night (Sunday), 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 $1.20 ($1.22); Coalition $4.50 ($4.25)
TAB: Labor $1.20 ($1.23); Coalition $4.50 ($4.50)
bet365: Labor $1.20 ($1.22) Coalition $4.50 ($4.20).
Neds: Labor $1.20 ($1.22); Coalition $4.50 ($4.25).

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An oldie but this goldie got a rerun yesterday so why not!

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Another one from Sky LNPNews, this time Rowan Dean…

Sky News host Rowan Dean has ripped into an ABC presenter for her “contemptuous” and “patronising” treatment of Shadow Housing Minister Michael Sukkar during a debate.

ABC host Sarah Ferguson struggled to rein in Housing Minister Clare O’Neil and her Liberal counterpart Michael Sukkar as they repeatedly shouted over each other during a heated debate on Thursday night.

At one point, she was fed up with the shadow housing minister interrupting Ms O’Neil and said: “Michael, what would your mother say, hearing you interrupt her?”

BREAKING OVERNIGHT: Is Peter Dutton on the verge of scrapping yet another poll promise? This follows footage at a number of petrol stations around the nation yesterday showing the Opposition Leader syphoning petrol out of vehicle fuel tanks rather than the other way around.

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