Tony Abbott may have been unsure of just how many days of campaigning were left when he told the audience at Brisbane's people's forum he would be on the trail solidly for two days, or 72 hours, but with just 24 hours to go the leader of the opposition and the PM Julia Gillard were busy making a final push.
Gillard addressed the Press Club in Canberra one last time, announcing an extension to her paid parental leave scheme, giving fathers or partners a fortnight's paid leave at the minimum wage, in addition to 18 weeks paid leave for the primary carer.
She also left the door open for a future carbon price or emissions trading scheme, despite having largely avoided the issue until now.
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Touching on another question that has been largely absent throughout the campaign, Labor said “closing the gap” between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians remained a priority for the government.
Meanwhile, Abbott used the final day before a media blackout to announce plans to enable university students to work off their HECS debts, through unpaid voluntary work in the community.
The opposition leader was less forthcoming on reports that the National Party was breaking with convention, handing its preferences to One Nation ahead of Labor in the seat of Hunter.
"I just make the point that in the end, preference decisions are decisions for the party organisation," Abbott said.
In some good news for Labor, as it was forced to deny "secret" plans to expand Western Australia's Curtin detention, East Timor said it had not shut the door on plans to establish a regional processing centre for asylum seekers there.
And Abbott was leaving the denials to his shadow treasurer Joe Hockey, who was defending the Coalition's policy costings from what he called a barrage of "hysterical allegations" from Labor.
