The recent rise of Pauline Hanson's xenophobic and inward-looking One Nation party threatens to make it more difficult for either of the two main political contenders to continue to carry out policies to make Australia more open, tolerant and multicultural, according to many analysts. One Nation is a kind of drainpipe for disillusionment with the major parties,'' said an independent political researcher, Hugh Mackay. In a rare show of unanimity, all of the nation's major newspapers said in their editorials Friday that the governing coalition led by Prime Minister John Howard deserved to be re-elected because the nation, whose economy is the third largest in the western Pacific, needed its plan for a radical overhaul of the tax system to make Australia more competitive. This is as close an election as I've ever seen in my lifetime,'' said a Liberal Party power broker, Michael Kroger. The result might not be known for up to 10 days, with electoral officials saying that as many as 25 percent of the 12 million eligible voters could take advantage of a long holiday weekend to use mail and absentee ballots, which will be counted only starting Monday.
Voting is compulsory.
Australia's economy has so far performed surprisingly well, despite the slowdown in Asia. It expanded by 4 percent in the year to June, after adjustment for inflation of about 2.5 percent. But unemployment has remained stubbornly high at just over 8 percent of the work force, providing a potent issue for Labor to exploit. Fearing that growth will be hit by increasing storm signs on the international economic horizon, Mr. Howard called the election eight months early. The government also pledged to continue its controversial privatization program and labor reforms to weaken the power of unions.