ALISON ANDREWS Chief political reporter, The Examiner

Nick McKim is the most comfortable of the three political leaders in a public forum so, for me, will always score the best at such an event.

He presents well, speaks well with plenty of light and shade in his voice and sells a message with enough emotion to stir a crowd. He has also worked hard in the past 12 months to build his knowledge across a broader subject range so that he speaks with more confidence on mainstream issues.

WILL HODGMAN 7.25/10

Will Hodgman is a solid performer who works more methodically to win an argument than the others so gets a bit caught up in the detail. He has an honest delivery which makes it easy for him to earn audience trust. His clean-cut appearance supports the image. In a public forum, he needs more variety in the tone of his voice to convince the audience of his passion.

DAVID BARTLETT 6.75/10

David Bartlett looked smart and knew his subject matter but he lost points last night for me because he at times sounded churlish. I would have liked him to throw away his notes and speak from the heart for once about his dream for Tasmania rather than repeat the same messages that we have heard from the start of the campaign. A public debate is not a comfortable forum for the Premier who is more at ease in a one-on-one situation or where he is the only speaker.