In politics timing is everything. This week it's emerging that time is something Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his team don't have a lot of.
The election will be held this year, it could even be in July. The budget is due in May and so far there are no policies other than general discussions about innovation to debate.
The clock is ticking. How patient will voters be?
Mr Turnbull and his team took over in September and five months later they are still in discussions over a tax policy.
Insiders admit privately the leadership team lost control of the tax narrative over the GST issue. Now there is frenzied discussion over possible changes to taxation for superannuation with the latest reports the Government is considering cutting current concessional tax rates for capital gains in superannuation earnings in approved funds.
Normally this would be normal pre-budget speculation. But the frenzied pre-election atmosphere currently unfolding and a lack of other policies to promote leave the leader and his team exposed.
'Insiders admit privately the leadership team lost control of the tax narrative over the GST issue.'
Will they come through it? Most likely on today's poll figures, but no one said politics was easy.
The Prime Minister was under sustained attack in question time today from a reinvigorated opposition who accused him of misleading parliament yesterday over capital gains tax for superannuation.
Meantime, parts of the super industry came to Canberra to ask the government to speak carefully as conflicting messages and debate could undermine confidence in the superannuation system.
Three ideas about super tax changes have been floated in internal government discussions and reported in the media.
One is to cut super tax concessions available to higher income earners. The second is to allow low income workers to opt out of super, and a third and most recent is increasing capital gains tax paid on super earnings that currently attract a rate discounted by one-third.
David Whiteley, Chief Executive of Industry Super Australia, told SBS the system needs to be protected and adverse talk and confused debate concerns many people with funds in superannuation, particularly the elderly and some young people who wonder if they should be contributing to compulsory super in the first place .
"We are very worried that what we are seeing at the moment is constant speculation of changes to super."
Industry Super Australia has raised its concerns directly with the government.
"If there is going to be changes in the tax settings of super then (we hope) those changes are communicated in a methodical and careful way."
"If you look at investment markets at the moment there is clearly volatility," Mr Whiteley said.
"Clearly people are worried about their retirement savings. What we now need from the government is clear leadership about what, if any, changes there will be to tax."
The Turnbull team isn't panicking yet - after all good policy does take time, but time is limited.
With a vacuum in the political debate, Labor is moving to trying to fill the vacuum. Today's question time saw the Prime Minister on the defensive.
Government insiders admit privately they lost control of the GST debate, they don't want the superannuation tax debate to go the same way.
In question time Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen asked the Prime Minister to clarify the plan for super taxation.
"Will PM rule out cutting capital gains tax discount for millions of Australian superannuation accounts?" he said.
The Prime Minister responded: "What we are looking at is the whole superannuation scheme tax system as you would expect in any responsible review of taxation."
Labor is accusing the Prime Minister of misleading parliament over his answers yesterday on capital gains tax.
Leader of opposition business Tony Burke went on the attack.
'The Turnbull team isn't panicking yet - after all good policy does take time, but time is limited.'
"The words yesterday were unequivocal. The words yesterday were - 'increasing capital gains tax is no part of our thinking whatsoever'. That is what he said. And yet within minutes his office is out there saying, 'well, it's still on the table, we're still considering it'," he said.
While Malcolm Turnbull and his economic team work through the options, early reviews on the performance of Treasurer Scott Morrison have not been flattering, particularly after his National Press Club speech last week where no new policy was announced.
Meantime opposition leader Bill Shorten is enjoying his best week in a long time. He told his caucus the election is there for the winning.
"We know that he's rattled," he said to Labor applause.
Mr Turnbull has achieved his dream of becoming Prime Minister, but now he has to get on with it.
