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Kevin Rudd - Source: Reuters -
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Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd denied placing his government on a footing for an early election amid reports he is growing frustrated with upper house obstructionism.
Rudd's preference was to serve his full term until the end of 2010, but his Labor Party wants to maximise options if the Senate rejects key carbon trade laws currently before parliament, the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper said, citing unnamed sources.
"We are head-down-tail-up, wrestling with getting through this global recession," Rudd told local radio in response to questions about his election timing strategy.
Speculation Rudd was looking closely at an early poll has been strong for months and intensified in newspaper reports at the weekend after Rudd shuffled the cabinet following the surprise resignation of his defence minister.
Rudd has previously denied considering policy changes before announcing sudden switches, most recently on legislation for emissions trade and plans to build a national fast broadband.
Political analysts said the re-vamped cabinet was dominated by financial and employment-related ministers, pointing to an election fought during economic downturn and sharply rising unemployment, expected to peak at 8.5 percent next year.
With Rudd facing the near-certain defeat of key carbon trade laws in a Senate dominated by conservative, green and independent opponents, many analysts believe Rudd may opt for an early poll to skirt the worst of an economic slide.
"Senior Labor sources say there is next to no chance Mr Rudd will call an election before Christmas, but the party will be ready anyway," the Herald said.
Trigger
The Senate is this month likely to reject several pieces of legislation, including the emissions trading scheme, with Rudd likely to force a second vote in October and give himself a trigger to call elections for both houses of parliament.
The major conservative opposition expects Rudd could call an election by March, before he is due to hand down another budget which will detail growing deficits in a country where voters are more comfortable with the safety net of government surplus.
Successive polls last month showed support for the conservatives starting to rebound in the wake of a budget from Rudd's leftist Labor government which racks up record deficits and cuts health and welfare spending to compensate.
An outburst at an air force VIP hostess over food has also damaged Rudd's standing, with a Galaxy Research poll finding that 43% of voters believe Rudd can be "nasty" if he does not get his own way.
In an effort to repair his image, the former diplomat has switched speaking style to be less bureaucratic, prompting accusations he was dipping into a obscure stream of Australian slang to better connect with voters.
"Fair shake of the sauce bottle mate, if you were to compare what this government has done in terms of the promotion of women of talent and ability compared with our predecessors, it's chalk and cheese." Rudd said on Tuesday, prompting howls of derision in several newspapers.
"The deliberate use of bush slang had political watchers suggesting the poll-conscious PM may have been responding to focus group research calling for a more a common touch," the Adelaide Advertiser newspaper said.
