Leaders fall short on ACM Pub Test

But it seems they've done little to impress punters in the local Pub Test panels run throughout the election campaign in publisher ACM's 14 daily newspapers.

The population centres served by these mastheads are represented by MPs from the Nationals (Tamworth, Dubbo, Bathurst, Orange, Wagga), Labor (Newcastle, Wollongong, ACT, Bendigo, Ballarat) and Liberals (Launceston, Burnie, Warrnambool), as well as one independent (Albury-Wodonga).

Each week, as the campaign unfolded, each paper's Pub Test panel shared their thoughts on the policies, stunts and gaffes.

This week all 46 participants were asked who was their preferred prime minister, and what campaign moments had influenced their view.

The Labor leader came out in front, with a thumbs up for Mr Albanese from 54 per cent of participants. Mr Morrison had the support of 15 per cent. Even in the final week 30 per cent said they were still undecided.

And most said the promises and performances of both leaders had failed to impress them.

In the Tasmanian seat of Bass, which is held on a razor thin margin of 0.4 per cent by Liberal Bridget Archer, Launceston designer Brody Page thought it was "hard to say" which of the two major parties had resonated.

"I think many Australians are getting quite jaded with the current attitude on climate change [...] I can only hope there is possibly a better alternative," he said.

At the other end of the political spectrum, retiree and life-time Liberal voter Gordon Grainger, from the holiday town of Tea Gardens in the Nats-held seat of Lyne, was critical of the Prime Minister's latest housing policy promise.

"Scomo is always over the top in his activities," he said. "Photos with kids, pictures pretending to play football and referring to himself as a 'bulldozer' to name a few. He definitely won't go down as my favourite prime minister but it's better to go with what you know."

Nurse Kim Monk, in the Farrer electorate held by Liberal Sussan Ley, said Labor and the Liberals had "said nothing that has made me want to vote for them".

Of the key issues that would sway their votes, the Pub Test participants cited integrity, reflecting the ACM network's pre-election reader survey.

Cost of living, managing the economy and environment were also important, while Indigenous issues drew Pub Test comments in Tamworth's Northern Daily Leader and Warrnambool's The Standard.

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Gunditjmara elder Charmaine Clarke, from Liberal Dan Tehan's seat of Wannon in Victoria, said Mr Albanese's promise to implement the Indigenous parliamentary advisory body was something that might sway her vote.

"Finally I can get to hear what the policies are," she said. "It brought me to tears how powerfully he spoke about our aspirations as Aboriginal people."

But Tamworth's Cathy Trindall, a Gomeroi woman, said she was disappointed that First Nations issues did not get enough attention during the campaign.

"No party has acknowledged Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rights, policies or reforms," she said.