IF the political turmoil of the past few months is any indication, this year's federal election may be won and lost on issues yet to appear on the political radar.
Rarely has it been truer to say that "a week is a long time in politics".
If the surprises keep coming, it could seem like an eternity until May 21, the last day on which the poll can be held.
Bad news has piled up around Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his government.
Misjudgments on Omicron, soaring deaths in aged care, a lack of rapid antigen tests, a lagging booster shot roll-out, leaked text messages critical of the Prime Minister's veracity, character and leadership - and this week's bungled handling of the Religious Discrimination Bill - make it highly likely this parliament will run its full term.
Mr Morrison needs the time to rebuild unity within the Coalition and to ride what he and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg are banking will be a strong economic recovery.
The more time taken in dealing with controversies, the less he has to promote the Coalition's record on the economy, national security and the pandemic response.
Instructions to Treasury late last year indicated the Coalition intended building its re-election campaign around a federal budget due to be handed down on March 29.
If the economy bounces back, and if Omicron does not surge again - allowing the government to keep highlighting Australia's globally low COVID hospitalisation and death rates - then the Morrison government could regain the spring that has been missing from its step recently.
The Canberra press gallery failed to pick the Coalition's "miracle" victory against Bill Shorten's Labor in 2019, and is again predicting a change in government, but such epitaphs could prove premature.
Labor has honed-in on the government's pandemic missteps and claimed it would have done a better job, but there is little to indicate it would have done things that differently to the Coalition.
The ALP hopes leader Anthony Albanese will attract disaffected voters turned off by the PM's polarising personality, but he has never beaten Mr Morrison in preferred prime minister polling, although he has closed the gap in recent months.
Such polls, however, are not always accurate, and issues that dominate the "Canberra bubble" don't necessarily matter that much to voters elsewhere in the country.
This is why we want to hear from you, our subscribers and readers, about the issues that are most likely to influence your vote.
What issues matter to you the most?
What traits are most important in a prime minister?
What's the key question you want us to ask the candidates and parties on your behalf?
Take our quick online reader survey and tell us what you think.
This is not a ScoMo versus Albo opinion poll.
It's your chance to make your voice heard on the issues that affect you and to help shape the election coverage.
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