The federal coalition is poised to release its election promise costings as the battle for the deputy prime minister's seat turns nasty.
Independent candidate Tony Windsor has called in his lawyers after The Australian reported accusations he was a schoolyard bully almost half a century ago.
Mr Windsor, who is challenging Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce in the NSW seat of New England, is accused by four former Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School students of intimidating younger students.
Mr Windsor has referred the article to his lawyers and describes the story as "gutter journalism".
Mr Joyce, who has a narrow lead in the polls, wants nothing to do with it either and has distanced himself from Nationals attack ads which could imply philandering by Mr Windsor.
"To be honest I don't even need the story, I don't want the story, I don't want anything to do with it," Mr Joyce told ABC radio.
The Nationals said the advertisement was meant to be humorous.
The Gillard minority government passed more legislation than any other in recent history. Source: AP
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, campaigning in Brisbane, declined to buy into the debate saying he would not engage in "personality politics".
Labor leader Bill Shorten said the Nationals were threatened by Mr Windsor's popularity in New England.
Meanwhile, Treasurer Scott Morrison will unveil the coalition's elections costings on Tuesday and the numbers are expected to show a slight improvement in the budget bottom line.
"We're in a globally volatile environment and that means you need the tightest financial position that you can have in Australia," Mr Morrison said.
On the issue of same-sex marriage, Mr Morrison has joined Mr Joyce and Finance Minister Mathias Cormann with plans to accept the outcome of the coalition's foreshadowed plebiscite on the issue, when it goes to federal parliament.
"I'll respect the plebiscite outcome and I hope everyone will respect the plebiscite outcome, whichever way it goes ... (and) if the plebiscite carries, then the legislation should pass," Mr Morrison said.
Conservative Liberal ACT senator Zed Seselja it "would be a very likely scenario" that he would abstain from the vote.
Peta Credlin, the former chief of staff to former prime minister Tony Abbott, warned of a "schism" in the coalition over its plebiscite plan, predicting any enabling legislation could fail to pass parliament.
Mr Shorten, who was in Canberra on Tuesday, also predicted a "Liberal civil war" over same-sex marriage.
"If he was actually the man in charge rather than simply the guy who is the front for the Liberal Party then he would go for a vote in parliament," he said of Mr Turnbull.
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