Federal election - 9 simple words which could derail Labor's strategy ...

... and they have accident-prone Garrett to thank.

The phrase at the centre of the controversy: "once we get in we'll just change it all".

Peter Garrett gaffe undermines Labor

2 November 2007

Nine simple words could derail the strategy at the heart of Labor's campaign.

Labor environment spokesman Peter Garrett might well have meant as a joke his "once we get in we'll just change it all" comment to radio shock jock Steve Price yesterday, but it could prove to be far from a laughing matter for Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd.

Election campaigns are such that everything is writ large, and the things that at other times might simply sail through to the keeper become the stuff of headlines – just ask Health Minister Tony Abbott.

Mr Garrett late yesterday went into full-on damage control after Price aired his comments, and Treasurer Peter Costello seized on them as proof that Labor's carefully crafted strategy to adopt the most electorally friendly Coalition policies was a fraud.

Not even the Nine Network's revelation that its star Richard Wilkins overheard the Garrett-Price exchange and was convinced it was just a joke could take the spotlight off the former rocker.

Mr Garrett's inexperience has been exposed twice this week under the glare of an election campaign, coming as it did after his apparent confusion over Labor's stance on post-Kyoto climate change agreements.

And his cause was not aided by an unimpressive press conference called late yesterday to explain himself.

See - Garrett's latest gaffe.