Liberals accused of dirty tricks in election campaign

AUSTRALIAN Prime Minister John Howard, pictured, battled yesterday to contain a last-minute scandal ahead of weekend elections, after campaigners for his Liberal Party were exposed distributing pamphlets accusing the opposition of sympathizing with terrorists.

Howard supporters in a Sydney district were caught delivering leaflets attributed to a bogus Islamic organisation, which urged voters to support the opposition Labor Party because it approved of forgiving terrorists involved in the deadly 2002 Bali nightclub bombings.

The tactic was condemned by all sides after it was splashed across morning newspapers and led news bulletins yesterday. Muslim leaders accused the perpetrators of trying to inject racism into the election campaign.