Former Labor leader and retiring member for Brand, Kim Beazley, has used his final press conference of his politcal career to sneer at Treasurer Peter Costello's chances at prime ministership, and drum up Labor support through Western Australia.
Mr Beazley used the forum to respond to a taunt hurled at him by Mr Costello in 1996.
"Costello said a cruel thing to me. I'd just become leader of the opposition. He said: 'Your best years are behind you and the next Labor prime minister is not in this House.' He was right.
"Now if there is a substantial seat loss by the Liberals, if there is a 54% (support for Labor) out there, I'm hopeful of being able to say to Mr Costello: 'The best years are behind you and the next Liberal prime minister is not in this House."
He said that John Howard had damaged the Liberal Party so deeply that it would take many years to recover from a loss this weekend.
But the former leader remains cautious, having not forgotten the lesson learned in 1998 when Labor won more than half the vote, but lost the election.
"That's got me worried and that's why we've got to go down to the wire," he said.
"You can't take anything for granted. I think the Labor Party needs every bit of 53% or 54% to win. If the votes tightens up to be around the 52% or 53% mark, then what happens in WA will be critical and will determine the outcome of the election.
"And that's why I have decided I will come out at my last press conference, before somebody else becomes member for Brand, and say how important it is that Western Australians join the move for change at the federal level."