Federal election 2016: Nick Xenophon set to do battle with Labor in Western Sydney

LABOR believes it could miss out on winning the key Western Sydney marginal seats of Macarthur and Lindsay because independent Nick Xenophon has told his candidates not to preference Labor.

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LABOR believes it could miss out on winning the key Western Sydney marginal seats of Macarthur and Lindsay because independent Nick Xenophon has told his candidates not to preference Labor.

The fears surfaced yesterday as it was revealed the leaders of both major parties had focused much of their campaigns on the crucial battleground seats of Western Sydney.

Malcolm Turnbull has spent 21 days, or 42 per cent of his time so far, campaigning in NSW, compared to Opposition Leader Bill Shorten who has spent just over 15 days in the state.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten. Picture Kym Smith

Independent Senator Nick Xenophon. Picture: Tony Gough

The marginal seat of Reid (Liberal 4.2 per cent) has received the most attention from both leaders, who have each visited there on three separate days.

Mr Shorten has spent three days in Fiona Scott’s seat of Lindsay (Liberal 3.0 per cent), while Mr Turnbull has spent two.

Privately, NSW Labor sources were yesterday pessimistic about their chances of winning the election on Saturday. Labor sources claimed yesterday that the Xenophon candidate in Macarthur Richard Bakoss had told their candidate Michael Freelander that he would have recommended preferencing him in the seat but the directive from South-Australia-based Nick Xenophon was that none of his candidates recommend preferencing anyone.

Macarthur in particular is on a knife edge, with polling showing it at 50-50, while in Lindsay Labor is just behind but got a boost after Mr Shorten opened his campaign in the seat.

Labor has just about written off the other marginal seats of Banks and Reid and is now pinning its hopes in NSW on Dobell, Paterson, Barton, Eden Monaro and possibly Robertson and Macarthur.

Nick Xenophon and Rebekha Sharkie who is running for the seat of Mayo in South Australia. Picture: Tony Gough

The ALP also has hopes of winning in Gilmore and Page, but it is not enough to win them the election.

Britain’s shock exit from the European Union is not expected to help Labor’s cause, with voters expected to turn back towards Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who they see as a steady pair of economic hands in unsettled times.

Mr Xenophon confirmed yesterday his policy was to have an “open ticket” in every seat.

Labor figures believe that such a policy could be enough to see them miss out in Lindsay and Macarthur.

The key seats.

“Maybe they (Labor) shouldn’t be funding half a million dollars in (advertising) in South Australia ... (wrongly claiming) that I am going to vote to reduce penalty rates,” Mr Xenophon said.

“It’s an open ticket because I think voters are much smarter than the Liberal and Labor parties give them credit for.’’

Mr Xenophon could win three to four Senate seats as well as at least one lower house seat.

He said if a joint sitting of parliament occurred and his numbers were required to pass the Australian Building and Construction Commission legislation he would support it, subject to some conditions.