Both Mr Shorten and Mr Turnbull have signed pledges not to enter any alliance with the Greens like the one that marred the prime ministership of Julia Gillard. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten was remarkable for the way he parried every thrust on 7.30. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen But asked specifically whether he wound consider any agreements or deals with Senator Xenophon, whose party appears on track to pick up three lower house seats, and perhaps Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott if they make successful comebacks, Mr Shorten would only say he intends to win on his own. "My intention is to win this election and I think Labor can win this election," he said as he campaigned in Darwin on Friday. "My intention is to get Australians' first preference votes. My intention is for us to get as many seats as possible. Australia needs a strong Labor government."

Mr Shorten was asked to clarify why he was willing to 100 per cent rule out a deal with the Greens but would not do similar for other independents, saying only: "That isn't what I said." Senator Nick Xenophon. When he signed an "oath" in ink in May not to team up with the Greens, Mr Shorten said: "Labor will not be going into coalition with any party." Mr Turnbull has claimed: "If we have another hung Parliament it will be the Greens and Labor back into business." On Thursday, Greens leader Richard Di Natale said Australia's political future lies in minority government because of the steep fall in public support for the two major parties.

"The hard political reality is that the major party vote share is dropping over time – a trend that shows no sign of stopping," Senator Di Natale said. "This makes multi-party governments more likely and more common into the future, and rather than accept this as the will of the people, we have scaremongering from the old parties, who are desperately resisting the trend. "A majority of the world's democratic systems have embraced a different model that produces greater diversity and enhances representation. A two-party state is not the natural order of things." Current polls suggest nearly a third of Australians will vote for candidates other than the majors.