Let's suppose that Labor holds on -barely- to power this year. In the long-term, would it be better for the Liberals to lose this year, with the certainty that four years hence they would be winning in a landslide due to voter fatigue with one-party rule?
Supping your analysis is correct, wouldn't it behoove the Labor party to assure that it loses a close election least they face elimination four years hence? I find it odd that advice that presumably applies equally to both parties is only being directed towards one party.
In any case, I strongly suspect that both Labor and Liberal party partisans would reject this advice out of hand. Perhaps, they would even label it as concern trolling.
