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ABC News
ABC News
National
political reporter Matthew Doran

Here's where your political leaders have been in the election campaign so far

Behind the scenes of a federal election campaign trail.

If you haven't seen the nation's political leaders in your neck of the woods, you may well be relieved.

Ducking to your local cafe for a flat white, without the risk of being accosted by a prime ministerial aspirant, should be a right afforded to every Australian.

But with COVID-19 pulling the handbrake on Anthony Albanese's roadshow, and almost a fortnight of campaigning under the leaders' belts, it's as good time a time as any to get a sense of lie of the land so far.

We've been tracking the movements of Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and Deputy Labor leader Richard Marles – logging every press conference and photo opportunity the travelling press pack have been privy to.

The apple of their political eye

It may well be the smallest state in the Commonwealth, but Tasmania gets a disproportionately large share of political attention.

Both Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese rushed to Launceston in the first week of the campaign – the Prime Minister keen to show his support for his backbencher Bridget Archer in Bass, who's caused him a bit of political grief in recent months, and the Opposition Leader eager to spruik for change.

The pair had spent a lot of time there during the "faux" campaign too – Mr Morrison clocking up two visits since December last year, while Mr Albanese graced Bass with his presence four times.

Keen not to neglect the rest of northern Tasmania, they've also logged trips to the other two seats in play: Braddon and Lyons.

This is an offensive move from the Opposition Leader, hoping to turn northern Tasmania red after one term in Coalition hands.

On the front foot in the West

Anthony Albanese's pesky PCR test has put his Perth plans on ice for now – although he did take the opportunity to jet into the state as soon as the border restrictions lifted in March.

He beat Scott Morrison over there, who at the time was dealing with COVID-19 – swings and roundabouts.

In the "real" campaign the travel itinerary tables have turned, with Mr Morrison launching an early assault in the west featuring campaign rallies and photo opportunities galore.

The Opposition is hoping to snare Liberal electorates Pearce and Swan, held by retiring MPs Christian Porter and Steve Irons – prompting Mr Morrison's appearances there, sandbagging the Coalition's support.

The Labor electorates of Perth, Fremantle and Cowan also got face time with the Prime Minister, before he headed east for the first leaders' debate – ultra-marginal Cowan being the real target of the Liberal party's attention.

Labor is still planning to hold its campaign launch in Perth on May 1, hoping Mr Albanese will be clear to travel by then.

The Barnaby factor

Barnaby Joyce can be a polarising politician.

Barnaby Joyce has held two campaign events in the northern Victorian seat of Nicholls so far. (ABC News: Bridget Murphy)

There was speculation in the early days of the campaign he was deliberately being kept out of certain areas to avoid poisoning the well for the Coalition in more moderate-leaning electorates.

Mr Joyce's attention has been focused pretty heavily on Queensland — making multiple stops in Dawson, Flynn and Capricornia, and subjecting local journalists to the joys of multiple daily meandering press conferences on what "real Australians" actually care about.

One to watch, though, is the seat of Nicholls in northern Victoria. Currently held by the retiring Nationals MP Damian Drum, Mr Joyce held two campaign events there in week one of the election.

On paper, Nicholls is a super-safe Nationals seat, but there's potentially some trouble brewing. The retirement of a sitting Coalition MP allows the Liberals and Nationals to duke it out, and a strong independent candidate is fuelling fears it could fall.

The Deputy Prime Minister is also doing the heavy lifting for the Coalition in the top end as the Country Liberals try to take Lingiari, covering all of the Northern Territory outside of Darwin.

Beautiful one day, politically advantageous the next

Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese turned their attention to Queensland just in time for the first leaders' debate in Brisbane.

Anthony Albanese and Scott Morrison had the first leaders' debate in Brisbane. Expect a lot more time to be spent in Queensland before polling day. (AAP: Tony Zerna)

The state is vital to whoever wants to form government, and significant swings to the Coalition there in 2019 secured Scott Morrison's victory.

Anthony Albanese has been on the attack in the Liberal-held seats of Dickson and Leichhardt, while the Prime Minister has so far been more defensive, visiting Coalition seats Bonner, Longman and Petrie.

Expect a lot more time to be spent in Queensland before polling day. A lot more.

Going South, quickly

There's sometimes a risk that The Great State of South Australia (parochialism emphasised by this expat hack) can be something of a flyover state, given the relative stability of the political landscape.

But the recent state election, where Steven Marshall's Liberal government was trounced by a resurgent Labor party, has led some to debate whether the swing could be on federally.

Boothby, stretching across Adelaide's south from the hills to the beach, is generally considered the only seat in play in SA.

Scott Morrison made a brief stopover on his way back from the west, while Anthony Albanese is yet to swing by – even though Labor is bullish about its chances, despite the seat being blue for decades.

During the 2019 campaign, one senior Coalition MP was asked why there was such a focus on Scott Morrison campaigning in Boothby.

The response was: "If we went anywhere else, like Sturt, you lot would start writing about us being worried." Watch this space.

Doing more in Gilmore

The New South Wales south coast is a beautiful place to visit on holiday — and to campaign, it seems.

Gilmore, stretching from Kiama to Moruya, is a popular destination for the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader battling over the marginal seat.

Mr Morrison is hoping former state Liberal minister Andrew Constance brings enough cred to the seat to snatch it from Labor on May 21.

Elsewhere in New South Wales, it's a familiar tale – Reid, Lindsay, Parramatta and Macquarie the focus for both leaders, while Mr Albanese visited flood-ravaged Richmond for Bluesfest.

South of the Murray

The Prime Minister is hoping to sweeten the deal for voters in the Coalition's most marginal seat in Victoria, Chisholm, even visiting a chocolate factory to prove that point.

The PM's car — rego plate "C1" — has driven through the streets of Melbourne's eastern suburbs a lot over recent months as the Liberals look to sandbag support for Gladys Liu.

Mr Albanese may have been looking for some divine intervention in Macnamara by appearing alongside Father Bob – a seat in the sights of the Greens, as the minor party tries to expand its influence in inner city electorates.

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