As major parties take to the hustings weeks out from a state election, a third force is shaping their messages to voters.
Victorian Labor will on Monday embark on day two of its official ground campaign ahead of the late November state election.
Premier Ben Carroll is hoping to fend off the Liberal-National coalition, which is leading the polls, and take his incumbent party to a historic fourth term in government.
On the first official day of Labor's campaign, Mr Carroll was keen to tie the opposition to a resurgent One Nation while touting his government's health credentials with a $1.5 billion pledge to reduce emergency wait times.
"Every Victorian knows there's a real choice at this election," he told reporters on Sunday.
"A party and a movement that is fighting for working people, or a Liberal-One Nation coalition that will hurt working people."
The refrain is one Mr Carroll has used since first becoming premier, warning of a "Liberal-One Nation government" in his maiden speech in July.
Opposition Leader Jess Wilson has explicitly ruled out forming a formal coalition with One Nation but has refused to be drawn on whether she would rely on its MPs if they are needed to form government.
Primary support for the coalition sits at 28 per cent according to the latest Resolve Political Monitor conducted in October and published by Nine newspapers.
That represented a lift of one per cent, while Labor's primary support remained steady at 25 per cent, followed by One Nation at 23 per cent.
Whether those figures could support a majority coalition government is an open question, as is the strength of preference flows from One Nation.
But Mr Carroll has made clear his belief the opposition will need the minor party's support to take power.
On Sunday, he cited reports in The Age newspaper that a Liberal candidate had been recorded encouraging a voter to support One Nation in the upper house and the Liberals in the lower house.
"Her own candidates are telling people to vote for One Nation," Mr Carroll said.
Pressed on the report, Ms Wilson stressed the Liberal candidate exposed in the article had apologised and retained her support.
"Mistakes happen in campaigns," she told reporters while accusing Labor of being weak on crime.
Victorians will go to the polls on November 28.
