Mr Shorten downplayed suggestions Labor's franking credits policy was hurting its chances in the marginal seat:"When you are at stage four of liver cancer,your franking credit is not much use to you,is it? What you actually need is a well-funded medical system."
Mr Morrison flew into Tasmania on Tuesday afternoon,where Coalition operatives believe they are a high chance of taking back Braddon and Bass by targeting the grey vote and highlighting its record on delivering jobs growth.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison - with Candidate for Bass Bridget Archer - is targeting the 'grey vote' in Tasmania.Credit:Dominic Lorrimer
Mr Morrison said the public wrote off his chances last year when he replaced Malcolm Turnbull,but tightening polls showed he stood a chance of an unlikely victory.
"People have been underestimating us for the last eight months,ever since I became Prime Minister,"he said."No one said that we would be in this position right now,they had all written us off."
The Coalition believes Braddon - where Labor's Justine Keay had an unimpressive result at last year's byelection - is its best opportunity in Tasmania.
The Coalition is running dead on education in the state despite chronically high youth unemployment levels. It has vacated that space to Labor’s $400 million TAFE investment but believes it will pick up a large proportion of angry investors in the state that is popular with retirees.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison with the member for Boothby Nicolle FlintCredit: Dominic Lorrimer
"[Franking credit refunds] are what they pay their petrol bills with,that is what they pay their private health insurance with and that is what the Labor party wants to take away from them,"Mr Morrison said.
The Coalition also thinks Bass is within striking distance,which will be crucial if it fails in Boothby in South Australia where Mr Morrison and Mr Shorten both campaigned on Tuesday.
Jessica Whelan was disendorsed by the Liberal Party but is running as an independent.Credit:AAP
Its prospects of winning Lyons were dealt a huge blow in early May,when its candidateJessica Whelan was disendorsed after allegations she made anti-muslim comments online. Nationals candidate,Deanna Hutchinson is now running under a joint Nationals-Liberal umbrella. Mr McCormack campaigned in both Lyons and Bass this week.
Ms Whelan has said she is running as an independent and Liberal Senator Eric Abetz said people should"not discount a Pauline Hanson-type of situation of 1996"(where she was disendorsed as the Liberal candidate for Oxley and managed to win it as an independent).
Bonham said the situation made the seat hard to read."[It] is a bit weird to work out what is going on with the Liberal vote[in Lyons] in view of Whelan. She's not campaigning much and doesn't seem to have much support base but still gets lots of media and the signs have been slow coming down."
When it came to the marginal seats more broadly,Senator Abetz said Mr Shorten had"misplayed badly"plans to provide $50 million to Mona,Hobart's famed art museum. The Tasmanian Liberal said Hobart is not in play in the election,and the announcement angered voters in the north of the state.
But long-time Labor senator Helen Polley dismissed the concerns,saying Tasmanians understood how important Mona is for tourism and the broader Tasmanian economy.
"I believe,with the issues running on the ground,that we will hold our seats,"she says."This side of an election,I'd rather be sitting where we're sitting."