In a little more than 24 hours our long national nightmare, aka the federal election campaign, will be over. Who will have won it when the dust settles? We don’t know, but up until the last vote is cast and counted The Bug will continue its world-class coverage of the campaign and party leaders.

Peter Dutton yesterday returned to his home state of Queensland to spend some time shoring up support in his own marginal seat of Dickson north of Brisbane. (main picture)

Facing polling results that suggest Labor has the ascendancy over the Coalition parties as election day nears, Mr Dutton was seeking positive feedback from local voters.

He found it in the middle of Dayboro near his own home where local fortune teller Madame Claire Voyent (below) was undertaking readings in her tent at the local weekly farmer’s market.

Mme Voyent read Mr Dutton’s tarot cards and told him she saw a big victory for the Liberal Party.

“It’s a surprise victory coming after everyone has written the Liberals off,” she told the Opposition Leader.

At that Mr Dutton turned to media representatives following him and sneered at them.

“Did you hear that, you woke lefties in the hate media – except of course SkyLNP News and other Murdoch media outlets?

“All this talk about the Coalition losing on Saturday is all fake news. It’s actually going to be a big win for the Liberals,” he said pointing at Mme Voyent.

“So just wait until Saturday night when the numbers go up and I’m ensconced in Kirribilli House this time next week.

“None of you – except of course SkyLNP News and other Murdoch media outlets – will be getting an invitation to my new harbourside home, I can tell you that for free. You hate media scum can all go and get fu….”

At that point Mme Voyent interrupted Mr Dutton and somewhat sheepishly said: “I’m sorry. I had the tarot cards backwards.

“So I wasn’t actually forecasting, I was actually looking back a few days – to the Canadian election in fact when the Liberals there won.

“Unfortunately the opposition leader there lost his seat so maybe come Sunday morning you might be….”

Mr Dutton interrupted Mme Voyent by upending her reading table, telling her to “shut the fuck up”, and storming out of her tent while kicking out the pegs holding its stay ropes.

***

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was buoyed on the campaign trail on Thursday after receiving early messages of support and congratulations from a number of political luminaries.

Campaigning in WA yesterday Mr Albanese said he had been encouraged by the messages from local and overseas politicians. (below)

A Labor campaign source said the PM had been sent a text message from former party leader Bill Shorten which said: “It’s in the bag, mate. All the polls can’t be wrong.”

Another message was received from former US First Lady and Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton which read: “It’s yours for the taking. Who in their right mind would elect someone so far to the right to lead a nation?”

The party source said former US Vice-President Kamala Harris had also messaged Mr Albanese, saying: “Australians know the shoddy record of your opponent and his vicious attacks on the media, government employees, and crazy ideas like DOGE, so they’d be mad to pick him as PM. Your win is guaranteed I’m sure.”

***

Now to the pollsters. A rare Freshwater poll for The Australian Financial Review lobbed, giving Labor a 51.5/48.5 two-party split. A bit closer than other pollsters but still significant because Freshwater has not had Labor leading in any poll since just after Federation. The final YouGov poll had Labor ahead 53/47 with predictions that Albanese’s mobs would again rule in majority, even upwards of 80 seats.

We’ve given up on whether Newspoll might do one more, so based on every current poll we’ve fiddled .. sorry … monitored, including Freshwater for the first time, the average of the polls is now 52.5/47.5 two-party preferred in Labor’s favour.

***

And as for the bookies …. the first figures below are from around 9.35 pm last night (Wednesday) with the results from roughly 24 hours earlier in brackets.

Sportsbet: Labor $1.06 ($1.12); Coalition $9.30 ($6.30)
Ladbrokes: Labor $1.06 ($1.10); Coalition $9.00 ($6.50)
TAB: Labor $1.08 ($1.11); Coalition $8.00 ($6.50)
bet365: Labor $1.07 ($1.11) Coalition $9.00 ($5.00).
Neds: Labor $1.06 ($1.10); Coalition $9.00 ($6.50).

***

We weren’t going to award reb of Melbourne the sash as Thursday’s winner because he uses a naughty word that has never escaped our lips but we did like the meme.

The dear thing could probably have far-rightly won this gong each and every day of this excruciatingly long and tedious campaign but well done, Peta Credlin!

Credlin used her Sky LNPNews hosting duties to sprout this: “Anthony Albanese has run a slick campaign, but as I’ve often remarked, he’s good at the political thuggery but hopeless at governing. And we’ve seen that thuggery at its worst with the ferocious attacks on Peter Dutton, the character assassination attempts largely based on lies,” Ms Credlin said.

“Are we, as a people, really going to re-elect a PM who is shameless in asserting what is known to be false?

As this daily campaign review has mentioned before … don’t you just love the smell of desperation in the morning?

BREAKING OVERNIGHT: Could Peter Dutton’s campaign have ended in any worse way than this? The Opposition Leader is now in hospital after tripping over a kerb and falling heavily on the footpath as he walked back the last of his meagre policy offerings. Luckily, Barnaby Joyce was unharmed.

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