Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott will be judged, scrutinised, praised and criticised during the coming months and voters will make their decisions based on performance.

Bowman, the Redland-based federal electorate, is regarded as the most vulnerable coalition seat in Australia, with an estimated margin of just 0.005 per cent after the last redistribution.

So given the importance of Bowman to the outcome of the federal election this year, why don't we know who the Labor Party candidate is?

Labor's candidate in 2007 Jason Young is said to be a contender again and former state member for Cleveland Phil Weightman has been mentioned as a starter, but is reported to be less than interested at the moment.

The Labor Party should act now to declare a candidate for Bowman. With Parliament sitting again this week, and with national issues of critical importance to Bowman likely to be on the agenda, Redland voters deserve to know what local candidates think about such issues.

Election campaigns are dominated by the performance of the party leaders and local candidates often ride into office on the back of their leader's performance.

Yet local voters are the ones who work with the local member. We deserve to know the strengths and weakness of each candidate before they are our elected representative. Time is running out for the ALP in Bowman.