"Well, I tell you what happens when you get a war going on the economy: people like me lose their jobs." The Liberal Party ad featuring a tradesman. But contrary to common misconceptions, Liberal Party sources said the star of the ad was in fact a real life tradie - not an actor. "We're pleased people are talking about our ad," a senior strategist told Fairfax Media. The commercial concludes without mention of Malcolm Turnbull or the Liberal Party – instead the tradie simply suggests "we should just see it through and stick with the current mob for a while".

It is oddly reminiscent of the troubled Hawke government's successful 1987 jingle: "Let's stick together, let's see it through ... nobody ever got anywhere changing horses in mid-stream." Chloe Shorten interviews her husband Bill Shorten on his parents, his time in the Army Reserve and fatherhood in a Labor campaign video. So convinced was the peanut gallery that the tradesman was an actor that several "Fake Tradie" Twitter accounts proliferated, along with countless memes.

Amateur auteurs on social media were quick to chastise the tradie's delivery and unlikely script, particularly his defence of the big banks. Illustration: Cathy Wilcox It was not just the content but the poor production values that prompted ridicule: the tradie flubs his opening line, and his microphone is visibly peeking out of his shirt. Peter Chen, senior lecturer in media and communications at the University of Sydney, said the ad "probably misses" its mark but did serve its purpose on negative gearing.