Kristina's successor lying low

HE'S the man that Labor powerbrokers have already anointed as Kristina Keneally's successor

HE'S the man that Labor powerbrokers have already anointed as Kristina Keneally's successor.

But for one who is next in line to the party's throne, John Robertson has been conspicuous by the distance he has kept from the media throughout the campaign.

The former union boss and current Transport Minister has seldom been seen in the company of the Premier over the past few weeks, leading to suggestions he is deliberately avoiding Ms Keneally so as to avoid being linked with the crushing defeat that her government is widely expected to suffer at the March 26 poll.

With Ms Keneally tipped to relinquish the Labor leadership after the expected election loss, party strategists have made no secret of their intention to replace her with Mr Robertson.

Mr Robertson has also been accused of avoiding scrutiny over his portfolio, which has been a trouble spot for the Labor government for several years.

Yesterday, Mr Robertson opted not to personally attend an on-air debate organised by ABC 702 at Sydney's Central railway station.

Opposition transport spokeswoman Gladys Berejiklian attended the outside broadcast and received a relatively soft handling from ABC breakfast host Deborah Cameron, who repeatedly chided Mr Robertson on air for his failure to accept the invitation to participate in the debate.

However, a spokeswoman for Mr Robertson said the suggestion that he was deliberately lying low during the campaign was "Liberal Party spin". "The ABC were told that John couldn't make the debate in person. He offered a number of times to phone up and be part of it that way, but for whatever reason they didn't want that," the spokeswoman said. "I can guarantee John Robertson will be making appearances alongside the Premier in the coming weeks."

Having switched from the NSW Upper House, Mr Robertson is expected to win the outer-western Sydney seat of Blacktown, which he will inherit from the retiring, long-serving Labor MP Paul Gibson. The ALP retained the seat at the 2007 poll with a margin of 22.4 per cent.