Australia rivals up poll rhetoric

Mr Rudd (L) is maintaining his lead over John Howard in opinion polls

Australian Prime Minister John Howard and his Labor rival Kevin Rudd have been increasing campaign rhetoric ahead of Saturday's general elections.

Mr Rudd, in Canberra, urged voters to help Australia "shift up a gear" by backing an innovative government.

In Sydney, meanwhile, Mr Howard reiterated his warning that a Labor victory would damage prosperity.

With three days to go until the polls, the Labor leader remains well ahead of his Liberal rival in opinion polls.

'Slow lane'

Mr Rudd, a 50-year-old former diplomat, has pledged health, education and labour reforms, and to ratify the Kyoto Protocol on climate change.

In a speech to Canberra's National Press Club, he said he wanted to help Australia fulfil its promise.

AUSTRALIAN ELECTION More than 13.5m of Australia's roughly 21m people are registered to vote Electors will choose candidates for all 150 seats in the lower House of Representatives and 40 of the 76 seats in the upper house, the Senate PM John Howard has led the conservative Liberal-National party coalition to four election wins since 1996 and is seeking a final term Kevin Rudd is taking the centre-left Labor Party to the polls for the first time as leader Election issues are the economy, environment and war in Iraq Profile: John Howard Profile: Kevin Rudd Nick Bryant's blog

"Saturday will decide whether Australia gets stuck in the world's slow lane, letting other nations pass us by, or whether Australia decides to shift up a gear to realise our new potential as a nation," he said.

The Labor leader has also promised to withdraw Australian troops from Iraq - something that Foreign Minister Alexander Downer called "political stupidity".

"It would be madness to change course dramatically on Iraq now just as we are making so much progress," Mr Downer told reporters on the sidelines of an Asian summit in Singapore.

In Sydney, Mr Howard emphasised his commitment to a strong economy and said that a Labor victory could put further progress at risk.

"I say again to those people who think you can change a government without changing a country - you couldn't be more wrong," he said.

The prime minister, who has promised a greater focus on jobs, childcare and affordable housing, said he was still in the election race.

"We have three days left. Let me say to you, my friends, I think it's a very winnable election," he said.

Labor needs a net gain of 16 seats to form a government and recent polls indicate this could be within its grasp.