12.00pm – Australia is to go to the polls for a federal election on November 24. The announcement of the date has just been made in Canberra by the Prime Minister, John Howard.
- Listen to Howard’s Election Announcement Press Conference (25m)
Addressing a press conference in Canberra, Howard said “this country does not need new leadership, it does not need old leadership, it needs the right leadership”.
He said Australia was enjoying a “remarkable level of prosperity” and committed his government to full employment and confirmed the Peter Costello would remain Treasurer and Alexander Downer Foreign Minister in a re-elected coalition government.
Howard talked of a “balanced approach” to climate change in the future.
He said he remained a “passionate believer” in “one Australia” and that the things that unite Australians are greater than the things that divide them.
The Prime Minister talked of the importance of “balance” and warned against a clean sweep of Labor governments in the Federal, State and Territory spheres. He warned against union influence in the ALP.
Howard said he looked forward to meeting with Australians over the coming six weeks.
The Parliament will be prorogued on Monday and dissolved on Wednesday. This means that people wishing to enrol to vote must do so by 8pm tomorrow night.
Howard said the government offered the most experience and a smooth transition to Peter Costello during the next term. There was “openness, clarity and predictability” on the coalition side and “instability” on the Labor side.
