Australia PM Howard told he's dishonest, too old

CANBERRA, Aug 6 (Reuters) Australia's conservative Prime Minister John Howard is seen as old and dishonest, his private pollsters said, in a blunt message delivered months ahead of elections.

After 11 years in power, voters were turning away from Howard in favour of the youthful Opposition Labor Party leader Kevin Rudd, who is seen as compassionate, genuine and likeable, the poll leaked to a newspaper showed.

''That research reflected some of the negative views that were around. It was done a couple of months ago. I think our position has improved since then,'' Howard, who turned 68 in July, told Australia radio. ''I'm not particularly amazed at what is in that document.'' Howard has served four consecutive terms in office and must call an election before the end of the year. He said the poll was no surprise and reflected Labor's attacks on his age.

Published opinion polls show Howard would be overwhelmingly defeated if an election were held now, with the government trailing Labor by more than 14 percentage points.

The private polling, leaked to Sydney's Daily Telegraph newspaper, confirms the surge in support for the centre-left Labor Party by young voters and middle income earners after Rudd, 50 in September, was elected leader in December 2006.

Howard, it said, was considered to be ''increasingly rattled and not responding well under pressure'', while Rudd's election as Labor leader gave voters renewed confidence and provided a chance for a generational change in Australian politics.

Rudd said he expected Howard to push populist policies to try to claw back voter support ahead of the election, widely expected in November or December.

''What I know is that we're up against a very clever politician, a very cunning politician, and there are still quite a few weeks to go before this election is called and anything could happen,'' Rudd told reporters in Canberra.

''This will be a very tight and very competitive election.'' Howard said the private polling did not take into account government moves to intervene to fight Aboriginal alcohol and child sex abuse, his move to take stronger control of hospital funding, or the government's strong economic management.

However, the government's traditional strength on economic management could be further hurt on Wednesday, with the central bank expected to lift interest rates for the fifth time since Howard won the 2004 election with a promise to keep rates low.

Howard, however, dismissed his poor showing in the polls as ''part of the election-year static'', adding some voters appeared to be taking the government's successful economic management for granted.

REUTERS SW BST1127