"I think once in a while the candidate not being at a press conference in an elector ate is fair enough, in isolation, fair enough," Ms Credlin told conservative News Corp columnist and Sky commentator Andrew Bolt. Peta Credlin has launched another attack on Malcolm Turnbull's campaign tactics. Credit:AAP "When it becomes a pattern, the pattern becomes a problem, and particularly the seat of Boothby and Dunkley where he did not have the candidates, Nicolle Flint in Boothby and Chris Crewther in Dunkley, I think was a mistake, they're seats we hold, we've got retiring 20-year members going and anything you can do to boost name recognition is important." But unlike Mr Sufi's case, the candidates for Dunkley and Boothby were a major part of the prime minister's campaign events in their electorates and while they were not filmed standing behind him during his media conference they did attend his remarks. Publicly Liberals, including the Prime Minister, are refusing to respond to her criticisms but privately believe she is in danger of sabotaging the Coalition's campaign. In 2010, Labor blamed former prime minister Kevin Rudd for causing the hung parliament outcome, when their polling took a hit and never recovered after damaging cabinet leaks against his successor Julia Gillard were aired.

For his part, Mr Abbott has said he is campaigning for the re-election of the Coalition but recently described Ms Credlin's comments as "riveting viewing." Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in Fremantle on Monday. Credit:Andrew Meares Ms Flint and Mr Crewther both attended campaign events with Mr Turnbull in their seats last week and posted pictures of the events on their social media accounts.

It appears Ms Credlin is referring specifically to Mr Turnbull's media conferences where he does not introduce the candidate or invite them to make any remarks, however Mr Turnbull did mention Ms Flint in his opening comments at Flinders University. Ms Credlin was approached for comment. It is the second time Ms Credlin has launched damaging assessments of Mr Turnbull's campaign. Last week she dubbed the multi-millionaire prime minister "Mr Harbourside Mansion," and attacked him for cancelling a street-walk in the Western Sydney seat of Lindsay after an earlier campaign event went sour. Before Ms Credlin's latest comments, one of Mr Turnbull's key supporters, Cabinet Secretary Arthur Sinodinos dismissed her analysis, suggesting it was devoid of facts and insight. "With respect to Sky News I don't know that many people watch Sky News are riveted as a result," he told the ABC's RN Drive program. When asked if he was personally "riveted" by Ms Credlin's commentary, Senator Sinodinos said he found host, Patricia Karvelas' program riveting because, "it's always factual and very straight and provides great insight."

Senator Sinodinos who served as John Howard's chief of staff reminded that Mr Abbott has vowed to support the return of the Turnbull government. 'Something in the water' Both the major parties have run into trouble in the marginal seat of Fremantle held by a margin of 5.4 per cent. The outgoing member Melissa Parke was from Labor's left-wing and a strident critic of her party's asylum seeker policies. Her staffer Joshua Wilson has been installed as the new Labor candidate after the party last week disendorsed the existing candidate, the maritime union official Chris Brown after it was discovered he concealed his criminal past from the party before running for preselection.