COMMENT: Parties promise you a miracle, or three

THE promises are coming thick and fast in this State Election campaign.

THE promises are coming thick and fast in this State Election campaign.

Even though I'm keeping a track of the campaign, and have an interest in politics, I am struggling to keep up with who is promising what.

It must be just as hard, or harder, for the average voter out there.

In essence, the major political parties are all trying to neutralise issues such as CSG, infrastructure spending, health, education etc by essentially offering variations of the same thing at a local level.

The most willing election campaign is being waged in Ballina, where the Nationals are spending plenty of money, flexing ministerial muscle and generally doing as much as they can to get Kris Beavis elected in the seat Don Page is vacating due to his retirement.

He and Paul Spooner have been going hammer and tong at each other, particularly in the letters pages of this very publication.

Lismore is a little bit more civilised.

Sitting MP Thomas George is doing what he does best: getting around the hustings and pointing out some of the runs he already has on the board.

Labor's Isaak Smith has the job ahead of him to overcome George's back-slapping, baby-kissing home on the range campaign. (And I mean that as a compliment.)

The bookies have shortened Labor's odds marginally, but even they are predicting that the Baird Government will be returned to power.

The fuss being made of seats like Ballina suggests the Coalition is by no means taking its voters for granted.

The main issue is, was and remains, however, CSG.