Senior Labor official concedes defeat in Australian election

0 Comments | AFP, October, 2004

SYDNEY (AFP) — A senior Labor party official conceded the opposition party has failed to unseat Prime Minister John Howard's conservative coalition in the general election.

"We haven't won," said former opposition leader Kim Beazely, Labor's shadow defense minister. "The election's over, gone, finished," he said, adding "but we're in striking distance for the next election."

Labor party leader Mark Latham made no immediate comment on the partial election results which indicated Howard's coalition was on track to building on the 82-seat majority it had in the outgoing 150-member House of Representatives.

Computer projections have given Howard's Liberal-National coalition 74 seats with another 11 expected to go their way.

Another Labor frontbencher,...