IF voting intentions at today's Newcastle City Farmers Market ere replicated nationally, the Coalition would be a sunken ship at the May 21 poll called by Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
In a snap vox pop conducted as a walk through the crowded weekly Sunday stop-off at Newcastle Showground, only a few of those approached were not prepared to answer the Newcastle Herald's single question: what was important to them at this election?
Susanna Miller, of Mayfield, had a simple message for the PM in the form of a hand gesture with an upright pointer finger. Asked to put her feelings into words, the animated 76-year-old said "climate change has been left way in the background by this government, plus no attention to hospitals".
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She said Mr Morrison was ducking his responsibilities, saying: "He's doing it all the time, isn't he? Saying 'it's the states. You've got to deal with that'. The bushfires? Oh, that's the states'. Health is hugely national."
Galston's Frank Barber, 68, who sells at the markets through his "Frank's Fruit" stand, was forthright in his support for the Coalition, saying he'd be voting Liberal and that "the other bloke" - meaning opposition leader Anthony Albanese - was "full of sh.t".
At a nearby table, Polly Ward, 52, described herself as the product of "a staunch Labor family", but said she was finding it harder to support the ALP after years of "broken promises". She believed politicians on both sides were "self-serving" and more interested in their own careers than the people they represented. As a parent she was extremely concerned about how their three children "are ever going to be able to afford to get into the housing market'.
Her English-born husband, Dougal Ward, 55, agreed.
"Ditto," was his initial answer when we asked his opinion. A landscape gardener now working in an exporting coal mine, he said: "I can't get over how poor our infrastructure is (especially after) having just been to Europe.
"OK, England isn't so good either, but you go to Europe, generally, and it's just whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!" he says, indicating fast transport options in every direction, including £25 ($44) flights from London to Geneva.
Ms Ward said the family had moved to Tighes Hill to help care for her mother, Griselda Browne, 86, who said she was concerned about a widening inequality gap in society. She preferred Mr Albanese to previous Labor leader Bill Shorten but was worried his messages were not getting across.
Retired engineer Lyndin Hume of Thornton said "the direction of the country" was a major concern. The 70-year-old pointed to "$1 trillion in debt and nothing to show for it'" and described Mr Morrison as "the worst prime minister in history", with "no direction" and "no trust".
Charlotte Hunt, a psychology student at the University of Newcastle, and her partner Dougal Murphy, an apprentice mechanic, both described themselves as Greens voters, and both nominated "climate" as the major issue.
Ms Hunt said domestic violence was also a major concern, "given we've lost 16 women already this year".
She said her generation was "absolutely" backing such trailblazers as Brittany Higgins and Grace Tame and said more female representation in parliament or "even men taking it more seriously would be beneficial".
Mr Murphy pointed to "the contradiction" between his trade with diesel engines and his environmental beliefs but said he wanted to get into "renewable energy and hydrogen power". He said it "bothers me" that the Greens did not have power in their own right but hoped that more people would vote for them.
