A leaked Labor election battle plan sparked accusations Julia Gillard is sugar-coating an electoral bloodbath. File image: Kym Smith Source: The Australian
- ALP will target 25 seats with cash and manpower
- Concerns list sandbags Julia Gillard's support base
- Electorate is 'volatile' say strategists
A LEAKED election battle plan has revealed Labor's target seats list across Australia for the 2013 poll and sparked accusations Julia Gillard is sugar-coating an electoral bloodbath.
Obtained by News Ltd Sunday papers, the ALP's target seats document reveals the 25 federal seats officials will sandbag at the election with cash and manpower.
It confirms the Labor Party's battle is holding the line in NSW and Victoria with not a single Liberal-held seat on Labor's target seat list as vulnerable to attack.
The Greens' seat of Melbourne held by Adam Bandt is also in the ALP's sights, despite the fact that his support was crucial to Ms Gillard forming government.
Independents Andrew Wilkie, Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor's electorates are not on the target seats list however, although officials said the ALP was still hopeful of taking the Tasmanian seat of Denison from Mr Wilkie.
But Labor strategists are despondent the target seats lists is more concerned with protecting the Prime Minister's leadership, amid fears up to 20 Labor MPs could be thrown out of office.
State officials have previously ignored target seats lists in the past to run their own campaign in defiance of the ALP head office and some sources suggested strategists may choose to do so again.
"It's all wrapped up in the leadership. They can't have a frank discussion about what seats are at risk further up the pendulum,'' a Labor strategist said.
"They're trapped. I understand why they've got the list they've got. But the minute they have an honest conversation with people Julia Gillard has got to have some difficult conversations.''
Another senior strategist predicted a "reconciliation'' would happen closer to the September 14 poll that reflected seats on much bigger margins that were clearly in play.
"The electorate is volatile and what's in play is not the standard electoral pendulum,'' he said.
With the Coalition running hard on second tier marginal seats on bigger margins, the Labor Party remains concerned that seats including the central Victorian seat of McEwen held by Rob Mitchell is in the firing line and needs more resources and even Bendigo held by the retiring Steve Gibbons.
The target seats list nominates three marginal Labor Victorian seats as crucial to defend: Corangamite held by Labor's Darren Cheeseman, Deakin held by Mike Symon and La Trobe held by Laura Smyth.
New South Wales emerges as ground zero for Labor with the most seats in danger according to Labor's list, closely followed by Victoria and Queensland. Tasmania has also turned toxic for the ALP with seats on traditionally big margins regarded as in the danger zone.
The target seats list also nominates eight Liberal seats as vulnerable to attack including Brisbane, Forde, Longman and Bonner in Queensland, Hasluck and Swan in WA, Boothby in SA and Solomon in the NT.
Accusing Julia Gillard's team of failing to confront the reality of Labor's position, state officials are now scrambling to fund-raise and tap unions to help run campaigns in second tier ALP seats at risk which have been left off the target seats list.
They fear seats on much bigger margins in NSW, Queensland and Victoria remain high risk and could be starved of resources.
The target seats list is used to allocate political funding bodies on the ground to campaign and advertising priorities.
"You name it, it's basically the main game,'' a Labor source said.
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