Australian Prime Minister John Howard, winner at the last four elections runs again for the same position, having the liberal Kevin Rudd as opponent, but not as opposite.

The resemblance between the two made Australians to say that if Rudd wins there will be no difference and that the latter one can be trusted to continue Howard’s policies.

From wearing almost the same clothes as Howard to promising not a different leadership, but a new one, Kevin Rudd is proud to state "I'm an economic conservative," and "I believe in budget surpluses, I believe in the independence of the Reserve Bank, I believe in its inflation targeting regime."

"The greatest risk for Australia's future is for the coalition to return and nothing changes," Rudd said. Yet, the changes he is promising are slightly seen in industrial relations, where some trade union power would be restored; in tackling climate change, where the Kyoto Protocol would be ratified rather than resisted; and on Iraq, where the military commitment would end and the troops brought home.

Rudd is thought to bring a breath of fresh air to the leadership, which makes Howard’s reelection not that sure. Australian National University politics lecturer John Wanna said "Howard's biggest challenge will be to excite interest in the government and its fate," and "Electoral indifference is the single most significant obstacle to victory.

It feeds into the mood for change, boredom with the incumbents and a complacency that it does not matter much who wins." Howard’s problem seems to be the fact that everybody is too familiar with him and thinks that he doesn’t have anything new to bring, as he, himself declared "Can I say, love me or loathe me, the Australian people know where I stand on all the major issues of importance to their future.".