The mainstream media largely ignored the event but those astute writers of Rove know that what happens in the Senate will determine which promises of the eventual government party become core and which become non-core and made mention last night of the successful registration of Pauline Hanson’s new political party.

Completion of those formalities increases the chance of Ms Hanson winning the last Senate seat in Queensland and thus having a major say in what governing the next government can actually do.

When Ms Hanson stood for a Senate seat back in 2004 she did so without the benefit of people being able to vote for her simply by putting a one in a box above the line on the ballot paper. To support her required putting numbers in all the boxes below the line.

That she did well enough with that disadvantage to receive federal election funding was quite remarkable. Ms Hanson is not a person to be written off despite a tendency of the orthodox press to write her off as having no chance.

Meanwhile, another day and another Labor agreement with a Government policy. A Rudd Government will not get rid of the Medicare safety net.

At the last election Labor opposed the Medicare safety net because it favoured the wealthy. That is no longer a factor. “When you’ve got 1.2 million people across the country getting some support from this scheme, we think that support should continue,” Mr Rudd said today.

Prime Minister John Howard is clearly finding it disconcerting that his opponent refuses to oppose. “People are saying ‘Gee, this bloke doesn’t seem to have a plan of his own’. He either echoes the Government or does what the unions say”, Mr Howard told journalists while on a street walk through his Sydney electorate of Bennelong.

It really must be frustrating for the planners of the Coalition election campaign that Labor keeps limiting the points of difference. Labor has learnt well that people will punish you when you take something away from them while not necessarily rewarding you when you give them something.