Australia election rivals even after Jakarta bomb

Australia election rivals even after Jakarta bomb

Michelle Nichols Reuters/Melbourne, Australia

Support for Australia's main political parties remains even ahead of an Oct. 9 election despite predictions the government would receive a boost after a deadly car bomb attack on the country's embassy in Indonesia.

Australia's robust economy had been the biggest issue early in the six-week campaign until the car bomb blast that killed nine people and injured 182 outside Australia's Jakarta embassy last Thursday snapped attention back on to national security.

A Newspoll, published in the Australian newspaper on Tuesday, showed the conservative government and opposition Labor party with 50 percent support each on a two-party preferred basis, where minority party votes are distributed to the main parties and ultimately decide an election.

On a primary vote basis, or first count of votes, the Liberal- National coalition government extended its lead by one percentage point to 46 percent over center-left Labor's unchanged 40 percent.

"It was interesting that the reaction (to the bombing) was zilch. We've got exactly the same two-party preferred vote," Newspoll's Sol Lebovic told Australian television.

"But I think that ... people seem to be pretty well locked on to where they're sitting at the moment and things really aren't moving them," he said.

Analysts have said Australians might choose to stick with a proven leader like Prime Minister John Howard rather than opt for change at a time of heightened security fears after the bombing, blamed on al-Qaeda-linked militant group, Jamaah Islamiyah.

Australia's election has attracted international attention as it precedes the U.S. presidential vote on Nov. 2 and Britain's ballot, widely expected to be called in May or June, which are set to be fought largely on security and the war on terror.

The Newspoll came as Australia urgently investigated an unconfirmed report on Tuesday that two of its nationals had been taken hostage in Iraq and would be killed within 24 hours unless Canberra withdraws its troops.

"We do not negotiate with terrorists, we do not bow to terrorists' demands or threats," Howard told Australian radio.

The release of Labor's long-awaited tax policy, promising small tax cuts for lower income earners, and the unveiling of health policies by both Labor and the government also failed to register with voters in the Newspoll.

"Labor has not received the much-needed overall lift from its tax and family package," The Australian newspaper said.

But Labor leader Mark Latham appeared unconcerned by the Newspoll and told Australian radio on Tuesday he still had a spring in his step after being declared the winner by the media in a nationally televised debate with Howard on Sunday night.

Latham made a bid for the family vote on Tuesday by unveiling a A$2.4 billion (US$1.7 billion), five-year education package, which includes a promise to divert A$520 million in government funding from rich private schools to more needy schools.