Seemingly unaware he was being filmed, Mermaid Ray flapped, waved and bopped his way through a reporter's question about his investment and consulting involvement in a $100 million Gold Coast cable car project. LNP MP Ray Stevens answers a reporter's question through the language of dance. We know about his involvement because Mr Stevens, who holds his seat with about a 26 per cent margin, stood up in parliament and told us about it, adding that the Integrity Commissioner had OK'd it, while promising not lobby his parliamentary colleagues about his "exciting" project, or have anything to do with the approvals process. As for anything else, we just have to take his word for it, or, as we saw on YouTube, let his body do the talking, because Mr Stevens has refused to answer journalist's questions about how he is going to balance his role as a member of parliament and assistant minister, and his multi-million business opportunity. And the government has let him.

So it's no wonder we are now half way through this election campaign, and both major parties think they can just bluster their way through without answering questions. Both the LNP and Labor are seemingly so panicked about appearing confrontational or anything less than calm, "measured" and "strong", lest the public be reminded of the bitter 2012 campaign, or the first two and a half years of the 54th parliament, any question off the carefully constructed agenda is being met with stares and double-speak. Labor can't tell you what it will do with the dredge spoil from the Abbot Point port expansion, and is relying on growth to fill its $1.3 billion revenue black hole, given its plan to quarantine $1.3 billion from government-owned corporation growth. The LNP can't tell you whether your great-grandkids will have to buy back the infrastructure built or maintained by the private company which leases the state's assets at the end of the agreement term, and is counting on interest savings from the debt pay down to fill the $2 billion revenue gap leasing those assets will create. Neither growth nor interest savings are a guaranteed revenue stream.

But they are things voters need to know in order to make an informed decision at the ballot box. Just as they are the things the parties will continue to dance around until either actually has to come up with an answer, which will be some time after January 31. So maybe Ray Stevens was on to something with his Bird Man dance. If nothing else, at least flapping his arms and making the yapping symbol in response to questions he didn't want to answer was an honest reaction. And given the clinical nature of this campaign, that may be the best voters can hope for.