Christian Kerr writes:

The federal ALP maintains a 6% lead over the Coalition in the latest Morgan Poll , with support for the parties divided 53% to 47%. 58% of the electorate – down one – think the Coalition will be returned, 28% – also down one – think Labor, while 13.5% – up two – can’t say.

Labor’s polling seems to be telling them that interest rates are biting, going by yesterday’s Question Time:

Mr BEAZLEY (2.31 pm)—My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to the history summit being held in Canberra today and the importance of teaching pivotal facts. Given the Prime Minister is so interested in history, when interest rates hit 21.39% in 1982, who was Treasurer?

In fact, Labor’s polling seems to be telling them that the Government’s economic record isn’t unassailable (and that it’s worth having a few gratuitous goes at the Treasurer):

Mr PRICE (2.36 pm)—My question is to the Treasurer and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party. I refer the Treasurer to table 1B in the latest version of Australian Bureau of Statistics publication 7215, showing that the trend annual growth in chicken slaughter was: 1.4 million extra chickens every year under the Whitlam government; 2.8 million chickens under the Fraser government; 2.2 million chickens under the Hawke and Keating governments; and 2.6 million chickens every year under the Howard government, with 110 million chickens now dying every year. Will the Treasurer confirm that chicken deaths will always be higher under a Liberal government than under a Labor government?

The opposition leader certainly won’t be getting his Ian Macfarlanes confused today. The economy is experiencing capacity constraints, the Reserve Bank Governor says in his last appearance before the House of Representatives Economics Committee this morning. He says consumer confidence is very low. And he’s said that it’s more likely interest rates will have to rise again than not, given the risks to inflation.