Will voters care?
That is the key question facing Prime Minister Scott Morrison after the government released its latest budget figures.
Delivering a budget surplus in 2019/20 is a solid achievement - it will be the first in over a decade.
However, strong economic management is not proving to be enough to sway voters, who head to the polls in May.
Labor's two-party preferred result is tracking around 55 per cent, which would deliver a landslide win.
The coalition insists voters will rally behind the government, as they take a closer look at Labor's promises of higher taxes and spending which would put the economy and budget surplus at risk.
"Labor's answer is higher taxes - higher taxes on your income, higher taxes on your business, higher taxes on your housing," Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says.
The government has also set aside a significant war chest to enable billions of dollars in pre-election sweeteners.
But there is still a high level of disenchantment in voter land.
Wage growth is slowing, house prices are softening and many businesses are worried about the potential fallout from trade tensions between the US and China.
As well, there is a residual anger over multinationals not paying their fair share of tax and the "greed is good" attitude of the big banks exposed in the royal commission, which the coalition reluctantly set up under pressure from Labor and the Greens.
And despite a $75 billion infrastructure plan, voters in the major cities are looking for someone to blame for traffic congestion and the rising cost of transport.
Health is also a significant issue, especially in booming outer suburban and regional areas where hospitals and specialist services are lacking.
And then there is the succession of political scandals and leadership instability of the past five years.
These are issues which can't be resolved within five months.
And voters appear ready to give the other team a go.
Australian Associated Press
