Sydney - Australian newspaper editorials Friday favoured Labor leader Kevin Rudd on the eve of a parliamentary election that will likely see Prime Minister John Howard's Liberal-led coalition vanquished. "Kevin Rudd is a man for his times," Brisbane's Courier-Mail said. "He deserves the public's support."
Melbourne's Herald Sun, in contrast, "believes the coalition deserves another term in office" because "Rudd has not made a compelling case for change."
The Australian, the country's only national daily, broke with a 35-year tradition and urged a vote for Labor, saying "John Howard and his team have a proven track record but, to us, they have run out of energy."
In Adelaide, the Advertiser plumped for Howard, saying "this is not the time for change."
In Sydney, the Daily Telegraph, urged a vote for a party that has been out of government since 1996, saying "we now believe Mr Howard has reached his use-by-date if for no other reason than he almost believes it himself."
Attorney General Philip Ruddock, a Howard loyalist and the longest-serving member in Parliament, said of the editorials that "people who read them may or may not be influenced by them."
Labor's Anthony Albanese, said the editorials added to the "voices out there saying that it's time for new leadership."
