Australian Prime Minister John Howard announced in Canberra on Sunday that the federal election will be held on November 24.

 

Howard visited the Government House earlier in the day and asked Governor-General Michael Jeffery to dissolve the 41st federal parliament for a November 24 election.

 

"Earlier today I called on His Excellency the Governor-General and he has granted on my advice a dissolution of the House of Representatives, there'll be an election held on the 24th of November," Howard said at a press conference.

 

"The writs will issue on the 17th of October, the (electoral) rolls will close on the 22nd of October, the nominations will close on the first of November," he said.

 

He stressed that the ruling coalition government is running the national economy very well, with the unemployment rate reaching the 33-year low in September, adding the government would also unveil policies that would lift living standards.

 

The prime minister admitted that the government has no right leadership on indigenous affairs, saying past policies of separate indigenous development were wrong.

 

Howard said the coalition government also looks after Australia's national security well. He said Australia's troop deployment in Iraq was in the national interest, while admitting many people disagree with him on the issue.

 

Howard also ruled out setting a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions during the election campaign, saying "We're getting advice on what is the appropriate target and we're going to announce that next year."

 

Meanwhile, Howard said he would not be attending this week's Pacific Islands Forum leaders' summit in Tonga.

 

"I do not think it's appropriate, now that the election campaign has started, that I go," he said, adding he will ask somebody else to go on his behalf.

 

Two hours after Howard's announcement, Federal Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd said Australians need a "new leadership" to ensure they have a better future.

 

He told a press conference in Brisbane, the capital city of the state of Queensland, that if the Labor party won the election, the Labor-government would improve the education, saying good education was critical for economic development in the future.

 

To tackle the climate change, a Labor-government would sign up to the Kyoto Protocol, which the Howard government refused to ratify, Rudd said.

 

He said a Labor-government would withdraw the combat troops from Iraq.

 

Australia, a staunch ally of the US, still maintains about 1,600 troops in and around Iraq.

 

Howard reiterated recently several times that Australia would not withdraw from or cut the troop numbers in Iraq until the Iraqi forces were able to look after the security situation in the war- torn Middle East country.

 

(Xinhua News Agency October 14, 2007)