In fact, Mr Beazley, who hosted Mr Shorten on his famous Perth verandah on Monday, told Fairfax Media the opposition had grown into the job, and was more assured and connected with voters across the country with each passing day of the election campaign.

He said Mr Shorten was in with a real chance, not least because of Mr Turnbull's choice of an eight-week campaign.

"He's confident in his policies and he's confident in his team," he said of Mr Shorten who trails Mr Turnbull by double figures as preferred prime minister but who is also gaining fast, with the parties themselves locked at 50-50.

"I think the Labor Party is appreciating a long campaign.

"You see, one of the things I learnt when I was opposition leader is that when the Prime Minister fires the starter's gun, you go into a position of equality, it's a care-taker government that you're up against it's not 'the government' and all of a sudden, the focus goes two ways instead of one way, and i think that an opposition leader always appreciates as elongated a time as possible."

He cited the strong performance of the Coalition in the 1984 election called by Bob Hawke.

"I remember Andrew Peacock made pretty good use of it against us in the 1984 campaign and I think that this campaign is giving Bill a chance to introduce himself quite effectively to the Australian people."

Heading into the week three, Mr Beazley said as many as three or four Liberal seats in Western Australia could be fall to Labor with the state Barnett government on the nose, the budget racked with public debt, and the post-mining boom economy lacking the energy it once had.

"There is a dreadful record with the state government here, he said. "Far from being a tax and spend government, it's a borrow and spend government."

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