Australia's general election to be held on Aug 21

Sydney, Jul 17: After a long speculation, Australia's first female Prime Minister Julia Gillard met with Governor General Quentin Bryce on Saturday, Jul 17 to decide on the parliament election issue.

Finally, Gillard declared that the general election is going to be held on Aug 21, 2010.

Gillard said the election should be held as soon as possible as she needs to win her own mandate.

Before moving to meet Governor General, Gillard said, "it is the right of every Australian to choose their prime minister."

Gillard"s Labor government got a 4-6 percent lead over the conservative Liberal, National Party opposition in the opinion polls held in Jul 2010.

To form a government with the 76 seats, the opposition needs to win 17 extra seats.

The biggest competitor of Gillard is Tony Abbott. He is campaigning strongly on tougher border protection measures, including using the navy to turn around boats carrying asylum seekers.

Other major election issues include immigration and population growth, economic management and climate change.

OneIndia News