Australia's Howard behind in polls on election eve
(Updates Howard quotes, adds detail)
By Rob Taylor
CANBERRA, Nov 23 (Reuters) - In a last ditch pitch to voters, embattled conservative Prime Minister John Howard warned on Friday that Australia would fundamentally change if his 11-year government was dumped from office in Saturday's elections.
"If you believe that our country is fundamentally heading in the right direction you should not vote for a change of government," Howard said at his last news conference.
"Because if you change the government, you will change the fundamental direction of this country. It always happens."
Opposition Labor leader Kevin Rudd, 50, has built a strong lead in the polls with his campaign for a new generation of leadership, promising to sign the Kyoto Protocol on climate change and pull Australian frontline troops out of Iraq.
Some of Australia's major newspapers called on Friday for voters to dump Howard and two opinion polls predicted a victory for Labor, but with differing margins.
As Howard and Rudd embarked on a flurry of final campaign radio and television interviews, an AC Nielsen poll gave Labor a massive 14-point lead on preferences, which would see Howard's government swept from office.
But a rival Galaxy poll put Labor just 4 points clear, which would see the election go to the wire and put the conservatives near-even with Labor for the first time in a year.
"I believe the coalition can win this election," Howard told Australian radio. "I believe that there is a bit of a tide coming back. I sense it in the streets."
During a final campaign day walk in the tropical city of Cairns 24 hours before the start of voting, Howard was heckled by protesters and told to "have a happy retirement".
Labor needs to win 16 more seats to win office.
Whatever happens on Saturday, the election will be Howard's last. Howard, 68, has promised to retire and hand power to his deputy, Treasurer Peter Costello, in about two years.
ANTI-MUSLIM LEAFLETS
Howard spent his final day of the campaign distancing himself from fake anti-Muslim leaflets distributed by his supporters in a key Sydney seat.
The leaflets could damage the government's chances of re-election, even in Howard's own seat where migrant voters fear his government harbours xenophobic beliefs underpinning a tough anti-boatpeople policy, which detains illegal arrivals.
"I knew nothing about it. It angered me," Howard said on Friday, referring to the leaflets. "It's no way representative of my views or that of people in the Liberal Party," he said.
Rudd, 50, a Mandarin-speaking former diplomat, has promised generational change for Australians, an education revolution, and to overturn controversial labour laws championed by Howard.
Howard has campaigned on his economic management, continued economic growth and record low unemployment, and waged a negative campaign warning a future Labor government would be dominated by former trade unionists and would wreck the economy.
In a blow to Howard's hopes of a fifth term, major newspapers favoured by the conservatives called on Friday for Australia's 13.6 million voters to pick Rudd over the veteran Howard.
"Rudd right man for new times," said the editorial in Rupert Murdoch's Sydney Daily Telegraph. "We now believe Mr Howard has reached his use-by date, if for no other reason than he almost believes it himself," the influential tab*loid said.
"Mr Howard and his team have run out of energy," said Murdoch's Australian national newspaper. "We recognise that no change is free of risk, but we recommend a vote for Mr Rudd."
The Fairfax group's Sydney Morning Herald also urged a vote for Rudd, saying Howard had made no compelling case for re-election. However, Fairfax's Australian Financial Review, and Murdoch's main Melbourne and Adelaide newspapers, all urged voters to stick with Howard's government.
Online bookmakers have also priced in a Labor win, with a Rudd victory paying A$1.20 for a $1.00 bet, compared to A$4.60 for a Howard victory. ($1=A$1.15) (Editing by Michael Perry)
By Rob Taylor
CANBERRA, Nov 23 (Reuters) - In a last ditch pitch to voters, embattled conservative Prime Minister John Howard warned on Friday that Australia would fundamentally change if his 11-year government was dumped from office in Saturday's elections.
"If you believe that our country is fundamentally heading in the right direction you should not vote for a change of government," Howard said at his last news conference.
"Because if you change the government, you will change the fundamental direction of this country. It always happens."
Opposition Labor leader Kevin Rudd, 50, has built a strong lead in the polls with his campaign for a new generation of leadership, promising to sign the Kyoto Protocol on climate change and pull Australian frontline troops out of Iraq.
Some of Australia's major newspapers called on Friday for voters to dump Howard and two opinion polls predicted a victory for Labor, but with differing margins.
As Howard and Rudd embarked on a flurry of final campaign radio and television interviews, an AC Nielsen poll gave Labor a massive 14-point lead on preferences, which would see Howard's government swept from office.
But a rival Galaxy poll put Labor just 4 points clear, which would see the election go to the wire and put the conservatives near-even with Labor for the first time in a year.
"I believe the coalition can win this election," Howard told Australian radio. "I believe that there is a bit of a tide coming back. I sense it in the streets."
During a final campaign day walk in the tropical city of Cairns 24 hours before the start of voting, Howard was heckled by protesters and told to "have a happy retirement".
Labor needs to win 16 more seats to win office.
Whatever happens on Saturday, the election will be Howard's last. Howard, 68, has promised to retire and hand power to his deputy, Treasurer Peter Costello, in about two years.
ANTI-MUSLIM LEAFLETS
Howard spent his final day of the campaign distancing himself from fake anti-Muslim leaflets distributed by his supporters in a key Sydney seat.
The leaflets could damage the government's chances of re-election, even in Howard's own seat where migrant voters fear his government harbours xenophobic beliefs underpinning a tough anti-boatpeople policy, which detains illegal arrivals.
"I knew nothing about it. It angered me," Howard said on Friday, referring to the leaflets. "It's no way representative of my views or that of people in the Liberal Party," he said.
Rudd, 50, a Mandarin-speaking former diplomat, has promised generational change for Australians, an education revolution, and to overturn controversial labour laws championed by Howard.
Howard has campaigned on his economic management, continued economic growth and record low unemployment, and waged a negative campaign warning a future Labor government would be dominated by former trade unionists and would wreck the economy.
In a blow to Howard's hopes of a fifth term, major newspapers favoured by the conservatives called on Friday for Australia's 13.6 million voters to pick Rudd over the veteran Howard.
"Rudd right man for new times," said the editorial in Rupert Murdoch's Sydney Daily Telegraph. "We now believe Mr Howard has reached his use-by date, if for no other reason than he almost believes it himself," the influential tab*loid said.
"Mr Howard and his team have run out of energy," said Murdoch's Australian national newspaper. "We recognise that no change is free of risk, but we recommend a vote for Mr Rudd."
The Fairfax group's Sydney Morning Herald also urged a vote for Rudd, saying Howard had made no compelling case for re-election. However, Fairfax's Australian Financial Review, and Murdoch's main Melbourne and Adelaide newspapers, all urged voters to stick with Howard's government.
Online bookmakers have also priced in a Labor win, with a Rudd victory paying A$1.20 for a $1.00 bet, compared to A$4.60 for a Howard victory. ($1=A$1.15) (Editing by Michael Perry)
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