And the very, very familiar, "Who do you trust?"

These are in no way throwaway lines. They are, of course, carefully crafted and vetted. But they are being dropped now, and timing is everything. Without realising it, we are all in a nationwide focus group as the major political parties fine-tune their lines and arguments for re-election.

It is election mode without a date. We have been in some form of it since the day after the 2019 election, and the front- and back-line troops are getting kitted out and put into position, spears almost at the ready.

The government is in "pre-caretaker mode", according to Labor leader Anthony Albanese.

"Struggling as they are," he added, "to get to 2022 as they fall apart in chaos over climate change."

Calling the election date is the Prime Minister's prerogative, and the wider expectation is that it will be called in March or April. But Mr Albanese this week did a little stirring and team-pumping by dropping his "expectations" of a December 11 poll.

Could it be true? We won't know until it is time for the Governor-General to know. Certain phones have been running hot. Labor says it is ready, and it's understood the election ads are ready to roll.

"It sets them up as the front-runners. They want to be the ones who set out their vision for Australia before Morrison gets a chance," ANU political scientist Jill Sheppard says.

"There is clear air for the Labor Party at the moment, while Morrison is tied up with negotiations with the Nationals on climate change.

"So it's all pretty smart politics. It's not going to change a lot of voters' minds, but it certainly sets the stage for the election that the ALP hopes to dominate."

But the government side is seeking the ALP's main policies. Where, they argue, is Labor's case to win office?

Quietly, Liberal MPs - who spoke to The Canberra Times on condition of anonymity so they could freely discuss the state of play - say their side is not ready yet. There are preselections to finalise (perhaps Gladys Berejiklian in Warringah if cleared by ICAC) and the opening up of Australia to assess. They know they are not popular with female voters, and the Liberal Party is in particular trouble in Western Australia. Premier Mark McGowan's popularity is expected to translate into federal votes for Labor, but will that be the story in five to six months? West Australians, it is expected, will want what other Australians have got.

But the biggest and most pressing hold-back is climate change. The Morrison government has a large net zero "barnacle" to scrape off.

Like same-sex marriage, committing to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 is not a favourite issue for the Coalition.

The Morrison government wants to put it in the past. It does not want a climate change election. It is aiming to fight on the familiar ground of economic management, with a fair daub of khaki thrown in.

There are too many negatives flying around, and MPs are not feeling the government is getting "cut-through".

The main focus is the understanding that with lockdowns starting to ease, people are desperate to get their lives back.

We are going to hear a lot from the Prime Minister about opening up, getting back to normal and sticking to the national plan.

"This is a wonderful day. Australia is ready for take-off. You can see it all around us," Mr Morrison said on Friday as Qantas moved to dust off its A380s.

"The first step is Australians first - bringing Australians home. There are a large number of Australians who've been looking forward to this day, and I'm looking forward to them filling the planes coming back, so they can get home first."

It might seem audacious or grandstanding, but the Prime Minister is trying to be positive. Party figures say he has been trying to own his mistakes, but also wants to move on beyond the slowness of the COVID vaccine procurement and rollout. To celebrate high vaccination rates and the relative freedoms they give.

"You know, it's a real Love Actually moment, sort of watching that happen," he said on Friday, again applying fiction to the COVID reality.

The core question posed to wavering voters is: "Who else can better manage the COVID-19 economic recovery?" The answer this government wants after eight years is for voters to stick with them.

"We know that as long as we're thinking about the economy on election day, the Coalition does better," Dr Sheppard said.

But the barnacle remains.

The government will crack a deal with the Nationals to take to the UN climate change conference, COP26, in less than a fortnight, formulating a policy position on climate before Labor. Mr Morrison will take a position on net zero by 2050 to Glasgow.

Labor is expected to reveal its climate policy after Glasgow. The government is gunning for details.

Mr Albanese is talking about climate as it relates to the economy. That it is full of opportunities.

"It's about driving down energy prices that then enable you to manufacture goods and give you a competitive advantage," he told Parliament.

"It's not about just the jobs in terms of maintenance of the wind farms or building the solar panels, it's about the whole economy and driving costs down."

Things have changed over the past fortnight. Not long ago, ACT Liberal senator Zed Seselja called net zero by 2050 "reckless" and not a target of a "party of government".

You will notice Mr Morrison and other members of his government are now not engaging on the climate science aspect of discussions.

For the past two weeks the government has been mirroring Labor, in saying it is all about economic impact and economic potential. It is pushing Labor further to the left on this issue, into Greens territory.

The Prime Minister is seen as appropriating ALP arguments.

"I think, Mr Speaker, that Australians want to embrace the changes that are occurring," he said on Wednesday.

"But I also think that they want to ensure that all Australians go ahead together, Mr Speaker, in rural and regional areas, and we have a clear and considered plan for how that it is going to be achieved.

"So we can mitigate the negative impacts of what is going to occur and then realise the opportunities that can be there for all Australians, particularly in rural and regional Australia."

The Prime Minister is well aware of the Coalition's one-seat majority. There are seats that he needs to hold in Queensland, NSW and in the west.

It is shaping up already as a leadership contest. The ALP wants you to know that Mr Morrison is not a leader, and he has a pattern of behaviour where he does not take responsibility. That he views things as not his fault and that he is a sudden hypocrite over climate change.

"Why does the Prime Minister always delay, always blame others, and when he does act it is always too little and too late?" Mr Albanese posed in question time this week.

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And this from his speech to the Labor caucus: "At the heart of the Morrison government is a focus group. At the heart of Labor we have our values."

But there are real questions, including from within Labor, as to whether the opposition is offering enough as an alternative government. One member said "we don't have product differentiation" at the moment - but they expected that would soon change.

The government sees Labor as sitting on the fence, "having an each-way bet" on issues like national security.

Government MPs don't feel "under complete assault" from Mr Albanese, but that is not how he operates.

"This is a government that is scared of the present, but terrified of the future and incapable - incapable - of shaping the future to take advantage of the opportunities, which are there," Albanese told Parliament.

But despite all Australia has been through this year, with the pandemic and all that is ahead, the result of the next election may already be decided.

"Most [voters] have made up their minds years ago how they're going to vote, and individual events just aren't likely to change their minds," Dr Sheppard said.

With a chance at making history, and legacies on the line, the next federal election will be the latest incarnation of the modern poll: a test of leadership.

Just who represents Australia? And who do Australians trust? Over to you.

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