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CANBERRA - Australia's Prime Minister John Howard, tipped to call an election any day, moved to douse fallout from war-weary voters over the country's first combat death in Afghanistan, saying it was in a just cause.
An Australian soldier was killed and another wounded when a roadside bomb detonated next to their armoured vehicle in southern Oruzgan province in Afghanistan as they were guarding a convoy of reconstruction engineers.
"The operation in Afghanistan involves resisting brutal terrorism. It's a just cause and this soldier was part of an Australian contribution to that just cause," Howard said.
Trooper David Pearce, 41, a member of the Brisbane-based 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment, was killed when his armoured vehicle was blown up in a roadside bomb attack.
Howard said he accepted full responsibility for sending troops abroad.
"It's very sad what has happened to Trooper Pearce, I send my love and my prayers and sympathy to his family," he told reporters.
"I don't seek in any way to evade responsibility for the decision I took to send Australian forces to Afghanistan, or Australian forces to Iraq, or indeed anywhere else.
"I am more than anybody else responsible for the men and women of our forces being overseas and I will never run away from that, I won't seek to shift the responsibility to other people."
Pearce is the first serviceman to be killed by direct enemy action in the current Australian deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq.
Opposition Labor leader Kevin Rudd commended the soldier's service and sacrifice. He reiterated Labor's commitment to the war in Afghanistan.
"We will always be attentive and responsive to requests made by our friends and allies in Afghanistan in terms of future needs," Rudd said.
Howard was in the Melbourne suburb of Williamstown to sign a A$3 billion ($3.5 billion) contract with Tenix to build two new warships.
Earlier, the Prime Minister talked up Australia's defence spending during the contract-signing ceremony.
Howard said he was proud that defence spending had increased by 47 per cent in 11 years.
"And we remain committed to further increases of 3 per cent in real terms until at least the year 2015.
"If there is national interest required, this Government will spend even more on the defence of this country because there is no responsibility that's greater than that."
Lagging badly in polls, Howard is expected to call an election this weekend or next, with public opposition to the war in Iraq and Afghanistan to be a major issue.
A survey last week found 68 per cent of Australians opposed involvement in Iraq and 50 per cent opposed deployment in Afghanistan, where close to 1000 Australian special forces soldiers and engineers are working with Dutch troops on reconstruction.
Both Howard and Rudd have pledged to keep troops in Afghanistan, although Rudd has promised a withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq if elected.
The head of Australia's military, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, said he was confident the country's latest combat loss would not lead to further erosion of public confidence in the war, which Howard last week said was dragging.
"I think we've got a very clear mission in Afghanistan. We are very happy with the level of support," Houston said.
He said the vehicle had been patrolling near the village of Saad Murda close to the main Australian base at Camp Holland when the blast occurred. The injured soldier was evacuated by helicopter and was expected to make a rapid recovery.
A survey by Sydney University last week found almost three-quarters of Australians thought deployments to Iraq had made the country a bigger terrorist target, placing them at odds with Howard's view that the war had made the country safer.
The soldier's death may make Howard's job harder and came as new pre-election polling showed Rudd, 50, maintained a strong 52 per cent to 39 lead over Howard as preferred prime minister. Labor also had a 56 per cent cent to 44 lead over the Coalition on preferences, the ACNielsen poll showed.
- Reuters, AAP
