The ACT election campaign turned into a three-cornered bunfight yesterday, with stunts, attacks and politicians scrambling for moral high ground.
The conflict culminated with the Greens interrupting a Labor policy announcement just after the Liberals had parked a truck with a 2.4m-high ''Zed Instead'' sign in the background.
The eventful day began when Liberal senator Gary Humphries weighed in on the debate, publishing an ad in The Canberra Times labelling the Greens' policies as ''uncosted and unworkable.''
He has urged the Liberals against forming a minority government with the Greens, despite a party commitment to work with all sides.
''My advice is for them not to consider that because I think the Greens represent too great an element of instability for that to be a suitable course of action,'' Senator Humphries said.
The attacks became bipartisan during a debate on ABC Radio, as Labor senator Kate Lundy, Deputy Chief Minister Katy Gallagher and the Liberals' Brendan Smyth criticised the Greens' failure to cost many of their policies.
Ms Gallagher said the Greens' policies were extreme and its education policy would cut funding for non-government schools.
Greens candidate for Molonglo Shane Rattenbury joined the fray, calling in to defend his party.
''We're very disappointed at the way the Liberal Party has started with attack advertising and the Labor Party has quickly followed with false and misleading comments on Greens policy positions,'' he said.
The attacks against the Greens continued off air.
Chief Minister Jon Stanhope used his party's skills policy launch to say ''it's always been a feature of the Greens and Green politics that they adopt an attitude of all care and no responsibility''.
When the Liberals' sign eventually moved down the road, Greens candidate Meredith Hunter interrupted proceedings to hand Mr Stanhope a copy of the party's education policy.
She said she acted so the Greens could correct the record and he had the information on what the party's education policy actually said.
''I think that actually represents in full force the disrespect and the discourtesy that the Greens show to the community,'' Mr Stanhope said.
After the press conference, he approached a Greens staffer, exchanging words before they left the scene.
Mr Seselja said the Liberals had not planned the stunt involving their sign. The vehicle was travelling to the party's nearby Fyshwick headquarters. He said the party staffer driving the vehicle noticed the press conference and propped the sign to be in the shot of television cameras.
''It's an election campaign; he didn't do anything illegal, he didn't do anything wrong, but he certainly didn't act under any direction.''
The heated exchanges come a week after a Patterson-Canberra Times poll revealed the Greens could win as many as four seats in next Saturday's election.
Neither Labor nor Liberal believe yesterday's clashes will damage their potential to form a minority government with the Greens, who may prove to be kingmakers.