CANBERRA, April 17 (bdnews24.com/Reuters) - New Australian opposition leader Kevin Rudd, well ahead in polls in an election year, delivered his first major address on Tuesday, pledging to restore the nation's cherished values of equality and a "fair go".
In a bid to present his centre-left Labour opposition as ideas-driven, Rudd said if elected later in 2007 he would undo the damage done by a decade of conservative government under Prime Minister John Howard.
"This election will be about the future versus the past. We, on our side, are ready for the future," Rudd told the National Press Club in Parliament's Great Hall.
"Our core proposition to the people is that Australia needs a change of government because Mr Howard is increasingly locked in the past at a time when the nation must face challenges that we have never faced before," Rudd said.
Rudd, 49, a bookish and boyish-faced former diplomat, has presented the veteran Howard with a major challenge ahead of elections due later this year.
A Newspoll on Tuesday gave Labour a lead of 59 points to 41 over the ruling coalition after preferences were given to the major parties. Rudd led Howard 48 points to 36 as preferred prime minister.
Rudd said Australia faced security challenges with troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the "great challenge" of climate change after years of drought amid Howard's refusal to sign the Kyoto Protocol.
Rudd has promised to bring Australia's 1,400 troops in and around Iraq home, with polls showing 67 per cent of voters either want them returned or for Howard to set an exit date. Labor has also pledged to sign up to Kyoto.
Rudd directly targeted Howard over his economic record, which won him re-election three years ago. Many Australian voters see the economy as Labor's weak point.
Australians are increasingly jittery about borrowing costs. The central bank raised interest rates three times last year to a six-year high of 6.25 percent and there is speculation of more hikes to come.
Rudd said Australia should use the current global commodity boom to invest in the future. Labour has promised to use proceeds from privatisation sales to build a A$4 billion ($3.33 billion) high-speed broadband network and improve education.
"This is all about making our own luck, rather than just hoping that we continue to be "the lucky country" blessed with abundant mineral wealth and burgeoning global demand," Rudd said.
Rudd also pledged to scrap Howard's new labour laws which sees workers directly negotiating with employees. To deflect accusations he was too close to unions, however, he said he would demand secret worker ballots before strikes.
The laws are shaping as a major election battleground.
To counter a planned union advertising campaign rumoured to top A$100 million, Howard has been asking business to fund a A$20 million election ad campaign in support of them.
Rudd has been hit by claims he and his senior staff tried to bully major newspapers to withdraw critical stories, casting a shadow over his stellar debut since winning the Labour leadership in December.
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