Both major parties reckon the election result might be closer than people think and are promising a hard fight to the end.
Polls for News Corp Australia and Fairfax suggest massive swings against Labor in marginal seats on September 7. They also suggest that Treasurer Chris Bowen and former treasurer Wayne Swan are set to lose their seats.
Mr Rudd said voters were only beginning to "lock on" their choices and he would continue his job of promoting Labor's positive message about building jobs and growth.
"I've seen a range of polls both public and private which suggest to me this election will end up a little closer than you think," Mr Rudd told reporters in Palmerston in the Northern Territory.
Government minister Bill Shorten says Labor will fight and fight and fight.
"This is an election which will be decided not by opinion polls but by the individual choices of 15 million Australians."
Mr Abbott downplayed the polls and told reporters the last few yards where when "the most can go wrong".
He took a swipe at Labor's tactics, highlighting the treatment of Sydney Liberal candidate Ray King.
"We're going to see plenty of low politics over the last week, we've already seen a nasty smear campaign against our members and candidates, including an outstanding policeman Ray King in Sydney," Mr Abbott told reporters.
Mr King is running against Treasurer Chris Bowen in the seat of McMahon and has attracted attention for comments relating to Muslim women wearing the burqa.
"It is not the sort of attire I would like to see widespread in our streets but this is a free country, everyone's entitled to make their choice and if people want to wear a burqa, ultimately it is their business," Mr Abbott said after defending Mr King.
Mr Abbott expects polls to "sharpen tightly" in the final week but asked Australians to "make the right choice".
The coalition only needs to pick up six seats for a clear majority in parliament but the Newspoll suggests it could gain 20 seats just in NSW and Victoria.
Mr Bowen said he still had time to win over voters in the seat.
"A week is plenty of time to be talking to people about our positive plans for the future, about the opposition's cuts and what they'll mean for this area, and I don't think that every opinion poll that's published is necessarily always accurate," the treasurer said.
