Election a close call
Herald Sun | 8th October 2004 | Michael Harvey
AUSTRALIA - John Howard is on track for a fourth straight election victory - but his fate rests with thousands of undecided voters.
Up to 18 per cent of the electorate is yet to make up its mind, ALP strategists say, and they hope these people could swing behind Labor leader Mark Latham.
A Herald Sun opinion poll shows the Prime Minister's hold on power is poised to continue.
As more than 13 million voters prepare to deliver their verdict tomorrow, the final Galaxy poll for campaign 2004 says the Coalition could secure an extended majority.
The Coalition's primary support is put at three points higher than at the 2001 election.
On a two-party-preferred analysis, the Coalition leads 52 per cent to 48 per cent.
A strong final week on the hustings appears to have paid off for Mr Howard with voters now evenly split over who has run the superior campaign.
The election-eve poll results came as:
THE Prime Minister and Mr Latham placed their credentials before Herald Sun readers in articles published today.
MR Howard said he had no regrets about invading Iraq, despite a new report finding Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction.
CAMPAIGNING turned nasty, with Mr Howard and Mr Latham launching highly personal attacks on each other.
The Galaxy poll surveyed the opinions of 1200 voters across the nation in metropolitan and regional areas on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 per cent.
It followed Labor's $800 million policy for old-growth forests in Tasmania and took into account the Coalition's plan to save loggers jobs at a cost of $50 million.
The Coalition attracted 46 per cent of the primary vote, compared with Labor's 39 per cent.
At the 2001 election, the Liberal-Nationals' primary vote stood at 43 per cent.
The Coalition's improved showing in this week's poll could be because of the collapse in support for One Nation.
Increased support for the Greens -- whose primary vote was put at 7 per cent compared with 5 per cent in 2001 -- appears to have hurt Labor.
Support for the Democrats has crashed to 1 per cent.
Sixty per cent of voters believe the Coalition will win tomorrow, compared with 26 per cent predicting a Labor victory.
While Coalition voters emphatically believe their side will win, Labor supporters are divided, with 47 per cent forecasting a Latham government.
But 40 per cent think the Coalition will be back.
Despite assessments he has been out-campaigned by Mr Latham, Mr Howard tied with the Labor leader at 42 per cent on the question of who had been the election's most impressive performer.
Writing in the Herald Sun today, Mr Howard and Mr Latham state their cases for election.
Mr Howard is standing on his record of economic and national security and warns against change.
"Australia simply cannot afford to run the risk of an amateurish, inexperienced Latham Labor government," he wrote.
Mr Latham accuses the PM of campaigning on fear and rejects claims he is too inexperienced.
"At the end of this long election campaign, the Australian people know Labor has a plan for the future and that Labor is ready to govern," he said.
Mr Howard made his final major speech yesterday, pitching his message at undecided voters.
He conceded he had made mistakes but pleaded with voters to consider his major achievements.
"I'm a fallible human being like anybody else," Mr Howard told the National Press Club.
"I don't pretend . . . I haven't made mistakes over the last 8 1/2 years, but I would argue that I have got the big things right."
Mr Latham appealed for voters to elect him before it was too late to save health and education.
He retaliated against the Government's obsession with his history by recalling Mr Howard's 1988 comments on Asian immigration.
If it was fair for the Liberals to run ads against his record 14 years ago as Liverpool mayor, then he had every right to drag up Mr Howard's past.
"I wasn't racing around Liverpool saying we should get rid of Asian immigration and run a racially discriminatory immigration policy," he said.
Herald Sun | 8th October 2004 | Michael Harvey
AUSTRALIA - John Howard is on track for a fourth straight election victory - but his fate rests with thousands of undecided voters.
Up to 18 per cent of the electorate is yet to make up its mind, ALP strategists say, and they hope these people could swing behind Labor leader Mark Latham.
A Herald Sun opinion poll shows the Prime Minister's hold on power is poised to continue.
As more than 13 million voters prepare to deliver their verdict tomorrow, the final Galaxy poll for campaign 2004 says the Coalition could secure an extended majority.
The Coalition's primary support is put at three points higher than at the 2001 election.
On a two-party-preferred analysis, the Coalition leads 52 per cent to 48 per cent.
A strong final week on the hustings appears to have paid off for Mr Howard with voters now evenly split over who has run the superior campaign.
The election-eve poll results came as:
THE Prime Minister and Mr Latham placed their credentials before Herald Sun readers in articles published today.
MR Howard said he had no regrets about invading Iraq, despite a new report finding Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction.
CAMPAIGNING turned nasty, with Mr Howard and Mr Latham launching highly personal attacks on each other.
The Galaxy poll surveyed the opinions of 1200 voters across the nation in metropolitan and regional areas on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 per cent.
It followed Labor's $800 million policy for old-growth forests in Tasmania and took into account the Coalition's plan to save loggers jobs at a cost of $50 million.
The Coalition attracted 46 per cent of the primary vote, compared with Labor's 39 per cent.
At the 2001 election, the Liberal-Nationals' primary vote stood at 43 per cent.
The Coalition's improved showing in this week's poll could be because of the collapse in support for One Nation.
Increased support for the Greens -- whose primary vote was put at 7 per cent compared with 5 per cent in 2001 -- appears to have hurt Labor.
Support for the Democrats has crashed to 1 per cent.
Sixty per cent of voters believe the Coalition will win tomorrow, compared with 26 per cent predicting a Labor victory.
While Coalition voters emphatically believe their side will win, Labor supporters are divided, with 47 per cent forecasting a Latham government.
But 40 per cent think the Coalition will be back.
Despite assessments he has been out-campaigned by Mr Latham, Mr Howard tied with the Labor leader at 42 per cent on the question of who had been the election's most impressive performer.
Writing in the Herald Sun today, Mr Howard and Mr Latham state their cases for election.
Mr Howard is standing on his record of economic and national security and warns against change.
"Australia simply cannot afford to run the risk of an amateurish, inexperienced Latham Labor government," he wrote.
Mr Latham accuses the PM of campaigning on fear and rejects claims he is too inexperienced.
"At the end of this long election campaign, the Australian people know Labor has a plan for the future and that Labor is ready to govern," he said.
Mr Howard made his final major speech yesterday, pitching his message at undecided voters.
He conceded he had made mistakes but pleaded with voters to consider his major achievements.
"I'm a fallible human being like anybody else," Mr Howard told the National Press Club.
"I don't pretend . . . I haven't made mistakes over the last 8 1/2 years, but I would argue that I have got the big things right."
Mr Latham appealed for voters to elect him before it was too late to save health and education.
He retaliated against the Government's obsession with his history by recalling Mr Howard's 1988 comments on Asian immigration.
If it was fair for the Liberals to run ads against his record 14 years ago as Liverpool mayor, then he had every right to drag up Mr Howard's past.
"I wasn't racing around Liverpool saying we should get rid of Asian immigration and run a racially discriminatory immigration policy," he said.
