Howard all set for a second term

Labour Opposition will get 21 extra seats reducing the government to a majority of eight seats, the ABC quoting computer projections said. Howard tonight claimed victory saying 8220;it is clear that the coalition will have a working majority in the new Parliament.8221;

Speaking at a Liberal Party gathering here, Howard thanked the Australian people for returning the government and for 8220;embracing a bold economic reform that is in the long-term interests of the Australian community8221;.In Perth,Labour Opposition leader Kim Beazley conceded defeat saying, 8220;I think a win by us is unlikely.8221; Howard was elected by a landslide victory in March 1996 but called an early election to push through a 10 per cent goods and service tax.

One nation leader Pauline Hanson, who exploded onto the political scene about 18 months ago with proposals to freeze Asian immigration and cut welfare programs for aborigines, appeared not to have been re-elected, calling into question the party8217;s ability to continue.

About 12 million registered voters cast their ballots at thousands of polling booths in public buildings, from the nation8217;s desert to its tropical north and in its modern, bustling cities in the southeast.

Howard could take only limited comfort from the victory, with voters deserting his governing coalition in droves to Opposition parties which may yet have the power to alter his tax plan.