Howard puts his electoral faith in Australia's trust

The Australian prime minister, John Howard, yesterday called a general election for October 9, beginning his campaign with the issue that sank José María Aznar in Spain and threatens the re-election of George Bush and Tony Blair.

"This election ... will be about trust," he told a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra.

"Who do you trust to keep the economy strong and protect family living standards? ... Who do you trust to lead the fight on Australia's behalf against international terrorism?"

His target was the Labor opposition leader, Mark Latham.

But it is his own integrity that has been put in question in the past three weeks, in particular by the allegation that he has lied about the Iraq war and the refugee policy which won him and his Liberal-National coalition a third term in 2001.

"We have had too much dishonesty from the Howard government," Mr Latham said.

"I can agree with the prime minister in saying that the election is about trust. If people don't trust this government any more, it's with good reason. It is a government that's been dishonest for too long."

Three years ago Australians watched SAS soldiers storm the Norwegian freighter Tampa to stop it bringing refugees rescued at sea to land on Australian soil.

Mr Howard's hard line on refugees was the backdrop to the 2001 election, but the fallout threatens to throw this campaign off balance.

In the past fortnight he has been repeatedly attacked about a claim by former civil servants that he lied before the 2001 election about refugees throwing their children into the sea.

Asked about it yesterday, he said: "It's been done to death, that issue, and I have no further comment on it."

Earlier this month 43 former military and foreign affairs officials attacked his international reputation by calling his post-September 11 foreign policy deceptive and dangerous.

These issues do not mean much to Australians. Mr Howard's trustworthiness rating stands at 57%, and has actually risen slightly since 2001, despite the fallout from the Iraq war and an inquiry into the children overboard affair.

Mr Latham mentioned Iraq only once at a press conference devoted to domestic issues, and even that was in response to a question.

None the less, the announcement of the six-week campaign - rather than the usual five weeks - is seen as a tactic to head off further damaging criticism of Mr Howard's record on Iraq and refugees, because it will ensure that the lower house of representatives does not sit next week.

The Labor-controlled senate will sit till on Tuesday, however, and its leader, John Faulkner, revealed yesterday that a potentially damaging inquiry into the latest children overboard claim will report by October 7, two days before polling.

Mr Howard's government is trailing Labor in the opinion polls, as it did before the November 2001 general election, when the preferred redistribution of votes from minor parties to the two leading parties - the characteristic of the Australian system - is taken into account. On simple preferences the parties are currently neck-and neck.

Mr Howard is 65 to Mr Latham's 43, but he said yesterday: "They are going to ask themselves which of these two blokes is more likely to keep my mortgage affordable ... that's far more important than the age difference."