BOOKMAKERS do not expect the departure of long-serving MP Andrew Laming to hurt the LNP's chances of retaining the Bowman seat at the 2022 federal election.
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Sportsbet have the Coalition as $1.15 favourites for the seat ahead of Labor at $5 and the Greens at $34, but the ALP are the short-priced favourites to win back government.
It comes as the unofficial election campaign takes off, with corflutes from the major parties starting to appear near roads and on fences across the Redlands.
Bowman has been a conservative stronghold for close to two decades, with outgoing MP Andrew Laming holding onto the seat since 2004 and winning about 60 per cent of the two party preferred vote in 2019.
Labor candidate Donisha Duff, whose campaigners were out in good numbers at the weekend, admitted she was entering the election as underdog but was ready to face the challenge.
"Our community has faced 18 years of inactivity under the LNP and we can't afford another three years of inaction," she said.
"I'm ready to face this challenge."
LNP candidate Henry Pike, who lost out to Kim Richards at the 2020 state election, said he had learnt that old-fashioned approaches to representing the community worked best.
"I knocked on over 10,000 doors during the state election campaign and I'm rapidly approaching a similar number in this campaign for the federal electorate," he said.
"My campaign isn't about Instagram photos or waving at traffic, although we do a bit of that, I'm focussed on engaging directly with Redlanders about the things that affect them and then fighting hard to get results."
Ms Duff said Labor leader Anthony Albanese would look out for residents and workers in Bowman and deliver a better future for the community.
"Cost-of-living has skyrocketed under Scott Morrison, with the cost of petrol, groceries and fresh food going up and up, while wages stay the same, or are going backwards," she said.
"This is what the people of Bowman are telling me when I'm on the phones, on the doors, and this is what I will remained focussed on until the election is finally called."
Mr Pike, who did not comment on what he thought of his chances at the polls, said the prevailing message from locals was that they were looking for certainty.
"I hope I'm demonstrating to the Redlands that I will be a strong hard-working voice for our local community and will make sure that we are never taken for granted," he said.
The federal government will hand down its budget on Tuesday, March 29, with the election likely to take place in May.
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