"OUTRAGEOUS": HOWARD
The bogus pamphlet applauded Labor for supporting bombers "unjustly" sentenced to death and praised the party for allowing a controversial Muslim sheikh, who compared immodestly dressed women to uncovered meat, to live in Australia.
"We gratefully acknowledge Labors (sic) support to forgive our Muslim brothers who have been unjustly sentenced to death for the Bali bombings. Ala Akba (sic)", or God is Great, it said.
The damaging row looked likely to overshadow a televised address to the nation by Howard later on Thursday.
Howard said the flyer was "wrong, unfair and dishonest", and it was "outrageous" to link Labor to the Bali bombers, blamed for the deaths of 88 Australians among 202 victims.
"I knew nothing about this until I was informed that it had occurred and can I say that the Liberal Party organisation has acted with lightning speed," he said.
The western Sydney seat is held by retiring conservative MP Jackie Kelly, a former minister and close confidante of Howard, who condemned the flyer and said she knew nothing about it.
"I think its intent is to be a send-up, but it obviously hasn't worked," Kelly told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.
With Labor needing to pick up 16 seats for victory, Kelly's seat may prove vital in an election likely to rest on outer Sydney electorates where many home owners have been hurt by successive interest rate hikes.
Labor's Rudd said Howard, 68, who is seeking re-election for a fifth term, must explain who in his party had been aware of the flyer, accusing him of "desperate and desperation politics".
"This is extraordinary. Their negative fear campaign is now being run out to people's letter boxes," he said.
