Fed: PM concedes Latham riding high on back of ALP conference

AAP General News (Australia)
02-01-2004
Fed: PM concedes Latham riding high on back of ALP conference

By Shane Wright

CANBERRA, Feb 1 AAP - Prime Minister John Howard tonight conceded his new Labor opponent
Mark Latham was enjoying a high ride in the polls on the back of a successful ALP conference.

Mr Howard, who embarks on his own pre-election campaign in Perth this week, said this
year's poll would be a tough affair against a reinvigorated opponent.

And Mr Latham also won plaudits from another opponent, Australian Greens Senator Bob
Brown, who said the new Labor leader had brought excitement back to federal politics.

Mr Latham, thrust into the party leadership by one vote last December, has enjoyed
positive media coverage and strong radio talkback support in recent days.

It culminated in his address to the ALP national conference, which prompted Mr Howard
to call a highly unusual press conference at the Lodge to attack his opponent.

This year's poll is not likely until the second half of the year, Mr Howard said.

But both leaders are engaged in a phoney campaign, with Mr Howard in WA and Mr Latham
heading across northern NSW for the next four days in a bus.

Mr Howard said Mr Latham had enjoyed good coverage in the press during the Labor conference
which would add to his public standing.

"He's had a good few days, he's had good press, he'll get a bounce in the polls," he
told ABC radio.

Mr Howard said this year's election, which will be his fourth consecutive attempt at
power, would not be easy.

"The next election will be very hard for me to win, I accept that," he said.

But Mr Howard said aspects of Mr Latham's recent public comments showed Labor, if it
won office, would be spending up big on interventionist social programs.

"The takeout of the policy announcements is that he'll be a fairly big spender, that's
the impression," he said.

"There's just a whiff of the cradle to grave state paternalism about some of the things
he talks about."

Senator Brown said Mr Latham had shown this year's poll would be a strong contest.

In unlikely comments from a political opponent, Senator Brown said Mr Latham was reinvigorating
politics.

"I think Mark Latham's adding a great deal of excitement to politics in Australia,"

he told reporters.

But Senator Brown warned Mr Latham the Greens did not agree with Labor's position on
issues such as asylum seekers and the environment.

"The Greens getting into the parliament has been a very important alternative for people
in the last two periods of government -- witness the debates on refugees, public education
and the environment," he said.

"And we're going to be if there is a Latham Labor government. The old guard in Labor
is still very strong. It's ferociously anti-environment."

AAP sw/sjb/de

KEYWORD: LATHAM NIGHTLEAD

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