The nationwide survey, which put the opposition ahead at 51-49, has Mr Shorten also holding gains on his approval rating with the difference between the two aspirants staying at single figures at just 9 percentage points. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull remains the popular choice as preferred prime minister at 48 per cent to 34. Credit:Andrew Meares A majority of voters, however, continue to predict a Coalition victory, at 54 per cent - down 1 per cent - consistent with the view of betting markets and the majority of political pundits. The Greens' party vote stands at a creditable 14 per cent, up one point in a fortnight but 5 percentage points higher than the 9 per cent share it received in 2013. Another 14 per cent intend to support "others".

Voters appear to be tiring of the marathon election campaign, with primary vote support for both parties now dipping below the 40 per cent mark, and 14 per cent of respondents nominating candidates other than the majors and the Greens party. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten took tax reforms policies to the 2016 election but could go further. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen That raises the potential for a hung parliament - especially as polls are already open and in some electorates, up to a third of votes will be cast ahead of election day. Mr Shorten will unveil Labor's official election manifesto in Western Sydney on Sunday, no doubt buoyed by his continued front-running status, but aware his party remains just short of the extra votes it would need to secure the 19 seats (plus two gained through redistribution) required to achieve a majority.

Labor's primary vote has dropped to a perilously low 33 per cent - a drop of three points since June 2 - while the Coalition primary vote has fallen faster to 39 (down 3) - the first time it has had a "3" in front of it since the days of Tony Abbott's unpopular leadership when it reached 38 per cent. Neither side can take comfort from those numbers, with Labor's paltry 33 mirroring its dismal return in the 2013 election loss, and the Coalition's 39 being some 7 points lower than its primary share at the same election under Mr Abbott. The June 14-16 national poll of 1437 respondents has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 per cent and shows that with just a fortnight to go, either side could win, with the final result set to turn on individual seat contests where the outcome could differ markedly from the national trend. Labor's dominant performance of holding on to the two-party-preferred lead 51-49, comes after a scrappy period last week when Mr Shorten and shadow treasurer Chris Bowen, revealed Labor's spending plans on health and education and disability services would initially send the budget deeper into the red before recovering to balance on the same five-year time horizon of the Coalition. He said it would then improve faster after that, based on stronger revenues from tighter negative gearing and capital gains tax rules.

Malcolm Turnbull remains the popular choice as preferred prime minister at 48 per cent to 34, but this represents a significant and ongoing improvement for Mr Shorten as that 14 point difference had been as high as 51 per cent in November last year. Both leaders have also improved their personal standing with 47 per cent of voters approving of Mr Turnbull's performance compared to 42 per cent who disapprove. That gives him a net approval of plus-5 per cent, which is a 2 per cent improvement over the fortnight. Mr Shorten has again failed to reach positive territory with approval/disapproval of 43-47 for a net rating of minus-4, however, this is also an improvement of 2 points in two weeks. The two-party lead of 51-49 - unchanged since the survey of May 31-June 2 - remained identical whether calculated using the primary vote plus preference flows at the 2013 election (as is customary) or the stated second preference vote of the respondent. The parties ended the sixth week of the campaign with Mr Turnbull ratcheting up his warning that the election will be closer than people think, and hammering repeatedly his message that Medicare will remain unsullied under a Coalition government, while describing Mr Shorten's attacks on the subject "a disgrace".

"Medicare is a core government service. It will always be delivered by the government and every element of Medicare's activities will continue to be delivered by the government. I want to be very clear about this. What is being done by Medicare, by the government in delivering the services of Medicare, will continue to be delivered by the government," he said in Alphadale, NSW. The poll vindicated the different emphases of the parties, with voters preferring the Coalition on economic management, interest rates, and asylum seekers - all key areas of focus by Mr Turnbull in this campaign, whereas they regard Labor the better party on polices dealing with health, education, and the environment. Aware of the danger of a Coalition win being taken for granted, Mr Turnbull urged voters to cast their ballots thoughtfully.

"It's going to be close, every Australian should vote as though their vote was the one that decided the next government," he said. Follow us on Twitter