Opposition has promised $320m and Coalition $130m in the race for key seats of Longman, Braddon and Mayo

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Labor and the Coalition have splurged a total of $450m in promises to three key seats facing byelections on 28 July.

With Bill Shorten desperate to hold key marginals Longman in Queensland and Braddon in Tasmania, Labor has unleashed $320m in promised spending in the seats.

The Coalition has pledged $130m in the campaign to recapture the seats off Labor and to regain Mayo in South Australia from Centre Alliance’s Rebekha Sharkie.

The most expensive promise of the campaign is Labor’s $120m for Sunshine Coast’s new Moreton Bay University campus, of which $50m is designated for its “super lab” and $70m for university places.

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In Tasmania, both parties are promising $30m for a cableway at Cradle Mountain and $60m for the Bass Highway upgrade.

Labor has promised $25m to help Tasmania get an Australian rules men’s and women’s club, contingent on the Australian Football League allowing them into the competition. It has pledged a further $5m for local football clubs and $10m for recreational fishing.

The Coalition has promised $10m for an aquatic centre and $4.4m for a sporting precinct in Mount Barker, South Australia.

As reported by Guardian Australia on Friday, the Turnbull government has also promised $194,000 for CCTVs in Tasmania. One council received a federal grant worth $134,000, despite not having applied for the money.

Public polling suggests Sharkie is streets ahead of Liberal candidate Georgina Downer in the Mayo race, but Longman and Braddon are likely to be close contests.

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Labor’s candidate for Longman, Susan Lamb, has closed an early deficit to sit at 50-50 in the two-party preferred polls.

While Labor fears that One Nation preferences will assist the Liberal-National party’s Trevor Ruthenberg, the incorrect claim he made about having been awarded a medal for distinguished military service has harmed his campaign.

The Coalition is playing down its chances in Braddon and Longman, although betting odds have it narrowly ahead in both contests.