Australia's Howard Stresses Economic Record in `Even' Election

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Oct. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister John Howard is betting eight years of economic growth and interest rates at a three- decade low will win him a fourth consecutive term in office when 13 million Australians elect a new government tomorrow.

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Howard, 65, needs any advantage he can get. Opinion polls show Australians almost equally split between his conservative Liberal-National Party coalition and the opposition Labor Party, led by Mark Latham, 43. Labor needs to add only 12 seats to the 64 it holds to win government.

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A Morgan poll that surveyed 1,019 voters in face-to-face interviews on Oct. 2 and 3 showed 51.5 percent of Australians backed Labor against 48.5 percent for the coalition. The margin of error was 4 percentage points. Labor has led all 17 Morgan polls this year.

By contrast, a Newspoll telephone survey from Oct. 1 to 3 put the government ahead for the first time since campaigning started on Aug 29. The 1,680 voters preferred the coalition by 50.5 percent to 49.5 percent, with an error margin of 3.4 percentage points. Labor has led Sydney-based Newspoll surveys for seven of nine months this year.

Bloomberg

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1. Kick for the 'strines. nt

[Natesta]

2. He'll win

Howard will win, which is really rather unfortunate.

[Josh]

3. I think so -

I really thought Labor could pull it out.

The only thing going for Labor is the high number (around 12%) of undecided voters. There's significant Howard fatigue in the electorate, so enough of them might just walk into the booth and say, "You know what, screw John Howard." That's the only way Labor will win.

[Matilda]

4. That's what I'm hoping for.

Polls show that people generally find Latham more impressive as a
person, but when it comes to voting it's a case of going with the
status quo. I'm so tired of hearing "if it ain't broke, don't fix
it" or "better the devil you know ..."

Well, actually it is broke - we're becoming a morally and ethically
bankrupt nation under Howard, lacking compassion and sympathy for
the less fortunate. And why would you want to vote for the devil
you know - a mean-spirited, backward-looking lying little rodent?

I'm hoping that when they pick up that pencil in their hot little
hands, millions of voters are going to say "let's give Latham a go".

[Polemonium]

5. We'll see

"Some Say" there are millions of voters who have not yet made up their minds, and even in the last election over 5% did not decide until polling day.

"Some Say" that Howard is taking people on the fast track to becoming like America (more people living in poverty, more with marginal health insurance, fewer consumer choices). All I can say is keep it up, the USA might offer you a chance to become the 51st state.

"Some Say" the polls are cooked, remember where Murdoc came from?

"Some Say" well... we'll see.