''Hi, Danii,'' he purred. Rudd remained clear of the most obvious pitfall in his path, maintaining a gentlemanly line of sight. However, his candidate for Swan, John Bissett, failed the test - as pictures would later show. His gaze was last seen on the tiled floor of the Westfield Carousel shopping centre in suburban Perth. Rudd's stinging rebuke of Tony Abbott over the Opposition Leader's sex appeal gaffe was instantly left looking decidedly hollow, as some of his campaign strategists had feared when he launched the assault. Speaking later, Alexis described the resulting pictures as ''cheeky'' and said she had no problem with their being published. ''I'm a fitness model and I go in competitions where you have 10 judges marking your body in competition,'' she said. Alexis, who was working on the counter of a raw nutrition stall at Westfield, was one of hundreds of shoppers and shopkeepers keen to get between an iPhone and the PM.

Rudd is desperate for a bounce in the polls and proof he can still charm a retail crowd is an invaluable image for his team. Earlier, at a CSIRO research centre, Rudd looked less assured than when working the public. Things started badly, with Education Minister Bill Shorten giving a glimpse into just how exhaustive the planning of Rudd's Northern Territory tax break had been. That is, he had never heard of it until the PM announced it in Darwin. Rudd said his Treasurer, Chris Bowen, and Finance Minister, Penny Wong, were consulted but the belief among the busload of media is that this is likely to have been during a rushed phone hook-up somewhere between Jupiters Casino, Townsville, where the Rudd camp bunkered down earlier this week, and Darwin. As Rudd left Carousel, news broke that star recruit Peter Beattie was looking an outside chance to even make it to Canberra, with other must-win marginals also looking doubtful.

Despite this, Rudd's main advisers said he had a better week this week than last. A clearer choice between him and Abbott had developed. "We're focusing in all the time on the different choices on offer," said a Rudd operative. Perhaps things will start to look up. Whatever happens, Mr Bissett should be given the message to always look up.