Victorian opposition Leader Ted Baillieu and premier John Brumby have each told some 200 voters at a forum at the Burvale Hotel in Melbourne's outer east, why they should head the state government.
The premier painted himself as a hard worker and a family man, speaking warmly about his family, his upbringing on the family farm, his first part-time job selling shoes, and his first teaching job at Bendigo's Eaglehawk Secondary College.
Speaking of his passion, drive energy and the enthusiasm to do the job, he pleaded to be given a second term as premier.
The opposition leader meanwhile attacked what he called the normalisation of incompetence and failure under Labor over the last 10 years, pointing to resource problems in schools and public transport.
Mr Brumby admitted hospital waiting lists needed to improve.
"I know it's an issue and we need to do better," he said.
"Our record on ED (Emergency Departments) compares well compared with other states, but EDs are difficult areas."
He told the crowd the government's plan to recruit 11,300 extra nurses and 3000 extra doctors would reduce waiting times and result in more elective surgery.
"In health, everything we have promised to do, we have delivered," he said.
"We only promise what we can deliver."
On a question about independent schools funding, Mr Brumby re-affirmed Labor's commitment to lift funding rates to 25 per cent of the cost of putting a child through the state education system, which he said was worth more than $200 million.
The promise would benefit children in the Catholic system and needier independent schools, he said.
"We want to make sure that when parents exercise that choice (of independent schools) every student gets the same possibilities, the same start in life."
Mr Brumby talked up his government's record on relationship registers for homosexual couples and other diversity reforms, but said he was personally against same sex marriage.
