Aussies go to ballot boxes

2004-10-09 09:42

Sydney - Australians voted on Saturday on whether to hold onto their three-term conservative government - and keep their troops in Iraq - or choose the opposition Labour Party and endorse its pledge to pull out Australia's soldiers by Christmas.

The parliamentary election - a virtual dead heat in opinion polls - was widely seen abroad as the first referendum for the three leaders who launched the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, with United States President George W Bush facing a ballot showdown next month and Britain's Tony Blair probably facing voters next year.

But Australians have focused more on the economy, health and education than on Prime Minister John Howard's unpopular decision to join the Bush coalition.

The campaign also has hinged on personalities, with three-term incumbent Howard seen as colourless but a reliable steward of the economy, and Labour Party leader Mark Latham perceived as young and energetic, but also inexperienced and sometimes undisciplined.

No Australian soldiers killed

Howard sent 2 000 troops to Iraq last year despite protests that portrayed him as Bush's lackey. Australia now has 900 military personnel in and around Iraq, though none in combat roles. No Australian soldiers have been killed.

The prime minister has vowed to keep troops in Iraq until their work is completed.

Howard voted on Saturday at a Sydney primary school after taking a walk around Sydney Harbour, where he asked passers-by not to use their votes to punish his conservative coalition for unpopular policies.

"It's certainly not an occasion for anyone to think they can give us a protest kick and still re-elect us - if enough people do that we'll lose," he said.

At the polls, a man in line said to the prime minister: "Mr Howard, if you win, I'm moving to Europe." Another woman asked him when he was going to stop lying to the Australian public.

Latham says he will bring the troops home by Christmas if elected. He vowed to focus Australian anti-terror efforts closer to home in the Southeast Asian region.

'Soldiers need to stay in Iraq'

John Atkins, 59, voting in the Sydney electorate of Blaxland, said he didn't approve of Latham's plan, even though he initially opposed the Iraq deployment.

"I was very concerned when the Labour Party said it would pull out the troops by Christmas," he said. "We should never have gone in, but once we had we need to stay."

Latham shook hands with well-wishers as he entered his Sydney polling site. "We'll be seeking the support of the Australian people, particularly for a world-class health and education system, and taking the financial pressure off families," he said.

Australia's economy has grown every year that Howard's administration has been in office. Unemployment is close to all-time lows and inflation is just two percent.

- AP