Abbott gives Labor a couple of free kicks. It’s been a bad week for Health Minister Tony Abbott. Yesterday he infuriated asbestos campaigner Bernie Banton by labelling his pharmaceutical protest a political stunt, and was today forced to apologise.

This afternoon he arrived excruciatingly late to a live televised health debate on Sky, leaving Labor health spokeswoman Nichola Roxon to debate herself.

Viagra and yellow cake on PM’s brekkie menu. John Howard’s morning walks are getting more colourful as the campaign wears on. Last week it was verbal abuse and ghetto blasters, this morning he was offered “election viagra” and an iced “yellow cake” from four 1950s housewives, and a roses from FM radio hosts.

Hey Kevin… Rudd wouldn’t listen in English, so campaigners against QLD council amalgamations took to the papers in Mandarin.

Who made cactusus? Treasurer Peter Costello was taking questions at a primary school when one inquisitive youngster asked him who made cactuses. God did, apparently.

The dark side of Labor’s energy policy. As Kevin Rudd attempted to promote a new solar energy system at a QLD primary school, the lights that it powered went out, throwing the press conference into darkness. The session continued under the lights of battery operated TV cameras.