That would probably be the most appropriate result.

Labor has made some serious mistakes and has consequently lost much of the confidence the electorate had in the party at the time of Kevin Rudd's 2007 victory.

But when weighed against some considerable achievements, those errors probably don't justify depriving Labor of the opportunity for a second term. The government's greatest achievement, without doubt, was its quick and decisive action to safeguard the national economy during the global financial crisis.

The Coalition - despite a highly creditable campaign performance by Liberal leader Tony Abbott - has not done enough to convincingly portray itself as a better alternative government. On its chosen battlefield of economic credibility, the opposition has stumbled often enough to undermine its claim to superiority.

The negativity of the Coalition campaign has come at the cost of properly selling persuasive policy options.

Julia Gillard has struggled to outpace the bad odour surrounding her role in the assassination of Kevin Rudd, and at times the policies she has espoused - notably her early "quick fix" for the refugee issue - have been flaky.

But she benefits from a convincing and confident style and also from some of the runs on the board she accumulated during her stewardship of the education portfolio. Ms Gillard's facing down of the teaching unions and her insistence on enabling parents to compare the performance of schools through the MySchool website are just two examples.

Hunter expressway

In the Hunter Labor deserves to hold support. Perhaps recognising the damage being done to the ALP brand in the region by the incompetent NSW administration, federal Labor has listened to the Hunter and delivered in several areas.

Its funding of the Hunter expressway - against the wishes of its state counterpart - and significant support for a variety of industrial and social projects ranging from rail improvements to Newcastle regional museum should not be overlooked.