CANBERRA – Australia’s Labor government is set to unveil its biggest election promise – a two billion Australian dollar (€1.39 billion) rail link in western Sydney, highlighting its struggle to win marginal urban seats to secure a second term.
Prime minister Julia Gillard must win key marginal mortgage-belt seats in Sydney and Melbourne, as well as marginal seats in the resource states of Queensland and Western Australia, where there is strong opposition to a planned 30 per cent resource tax.
Labor continues to hold a narrow election-winning 51 per cent to 49 per cent lead over the conservative opposition, but a poll in the Australiannewspaper showed huge differences in support between states.
The Liberal-National opposition has opened a big lead in Western Australia, where Labor backing has been ravaged by the party’s plan for a mining tax on iron ore and coal mines, and holds a clear lead in the other key resource state of Queensland.
Defeat for Labor would see its proposed tax on the profits of mining companies scrapped by the opposition, along with plans to introduce carbon-trading and build a 43 billion Australian dollar high-speed broadband network.
Conservative leader Tony Abbott needs to win only nine more seats to form a government with four independents, or 13 seats to take office outright.
In Labor’s biggest single promise so far, Ms Gillard is set to pledge 2.1 billion Australian dollars to help build a 14km transport “missing link” for rail services in western Sydney, where immigration and economic issues are worrying voters.
Transport minister Anthony Albanese said the project was vital for the economic development of Australia’s biggest city.
“This is an important project for Sydney that links two major economic hubs [of the city] that will have a transformative impact on Sydney,” he told local radio.
Party strategists from both sides believe the election will be decided in a handful of marginal seats in Queensland and New South Wales, where border security, population growth, infrastructure and economic issues are worrying voters.
Ms Gillard retains a strong advantage as preferred prime minister with 49 per cent support to 34 per cent for conservative leader Tony Abbott, although Mr Abbott was seen to be closing the gap in Queensland, where the two are now level. Labor won in 2007 with 52.7 per cent of the vote against 47.3 for the conservatives. – (Reuters)