Prime Minister John Howard hit the television screens of New South Wales last night urging a vote for the Liberal Party of Peter Debnam. Nothing unusual about that, you might say, but for the fact that the advertisements were paid for by the Australian Labor Party.

“I’ll do everything I can to help Peter Debnam” says the PM in the ads before arguing that the result of a State Liberal Party win would be the handing over of state industrial relations powers to the Commonwealth.

That those powers are already effectively in Canberra for most workers was conveniently forgotten. This 30 seconds interrupting Dancing With the Stars was nothing more than an attempt to link an unpopular Federal Government with a largely unknown State Opposition.

What impact, if any, will the strategy have? Crikey readers can make their own judgment by entering our NSW State Election Bragging Rights Contest where in the 93 electorates our tipping contest pits the ALP versus The Rest with The Rest being a combination of Nationals, Liberals, Greens, Family First, independents and whatever else.

Tippers must choose between the two teams and give a probability about being right.

You will find the full details of this intelligent person’s tipping contest here.