Australia government polls ahead of Labor after US row

CANBERRA - The Australian government eked out a narrow lead in two opinion polls released on Tuesday after a row with the United States over Iraq damaged the opposition Labor party before a cliff-hanger election tipped for October.

With the election expected to be fought on the issues of security and Australia's strong economy, conservative Prime Minister John Howard announced a A$102 million ($115 million) boost for port security around the island continent.

Howard, a staunch US ally, beefed up his security stand with plans to increase the number of shipping containers to be X-rayed, extend television surveillance of ports and increase the number of vessels boarded on arrival by customs officials.

"Security in our ports for our ships and our trading routes is an essential part of national security," Howard said.

Blunt-talking Labor leader Mark Latham last week told the United States to stay out of Australian politics after President George W. Bush and other senior US officials put pressure on Labor to drop a vow to withdraw Australian troops from Iraq.

But forays by centre-left Labor into the conservative government strongholds of national security and economic growth have yet to strike a chord with voters and Latham's pledge to bring the troops home by Christmas has failed to win support.

Howard is adamant that Australia's 850 troops in and around Iraq will stay as long as necessary. A poll has showed two-thirds of Australians support his stand.

Despite Latham's attempts to patch up ties with the United States by appointing respected politician Kim Beazley as his defence spokesman and modifying his troop withdrawal promise, Labor has lost more ground to Howard's eight-year-old government.

CLOSE IN THE POLLS

With Howard touring northern constituencies, a Newspoll survey in Tuesday's Australian newspaper showed support for Labor down one percentage point in the past two weeks to 40 per cent. Support for the government was steady at 43 per cent.

An AgePoll survey, conducted by ACNielsen and published in The Age newspaper, showed Labor's popularity fell two points in the past month to 40 per cent with support for the government rising two points to 45 per cent.

But on a two-party preferred basis -- where minor party votes are distributed to major parties -- Labor held a lead of two points over the government in the Newspoll with 51 per cent support and four points in the AgePoll with 52 per cent.

Latham, 43, who has also been subjected to attacks on his character, appeared unconcerned by the opinion polls.

"I think they have been up and down, up and down in the last couple of months and they will probably continue to do that because the next election is going to be close and it's a very hard-fought contest," Latham told Australian radio.

Howard remains coy on an election date. Newspapers on Tuesday showed him in shirtsleeves talking to voters in a suburban Darwin shopping mall in Australia's most closely contested constituency, held by the government by just 100 votes.

Tuesday's polls showed Howard, who turns 65 next Monday, remains the preferred prime minister with strong leads of up to 15 points over Latham.

- REUTERS